Epicenter
by forensicsfan
Summary: COMPLETE - Things are shaken up quite a bit when Nick and Sara investigate a dead body underneath a house.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Don't own them, didn't create them, don't profit from them, etc. Thanks for taking the time to read this story. You're time is valuable and so are your opinions. All reviews welcome, however, if you feel the need to flame, please include your email address so we can talk about what you don't like.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What do you have?" Sara Sidle asked Captain Jim Brass as she and fellow CSI Nick Stokes descended from the dark blue GMC Denali.  
  
"DB in the crawl space under the house." Brass gestured toward the split level home cordoned off by yellow crime scene tape.  
  
"Who found it?" Nick queried the homicide detective.  
  
Brass glanced at his notepad with a furrowed brow before addressing the pair of CSIs. "Animal control. The homeowner thought that maybe some animal had taken up residence under the house and died."  
  
Nick and Sara exchanged a knowing glance. Both of them had encountered more than their fair share of decomps in their careers, and lately most of them they'd worked together. Nick raised his eyebrow at Sara. "I'll flip you for the lemons."  
  
Sara rolled her eyes, shook her head and chuckled. "I picked them up last time. It's your turn, Nick."  
  
Kits in hand they made their way to the entrance of the crawl space. The stench from the decomposing body was apparent even before they'd knelt down and shone a flashlight into the darkness.  
  
Nick stood up and took a breath of somewhat fresh air, gesturing toward the crawl space. "We're might need more light depending on what we find."  
  
Brass nodded. "Already on the way."  
  
Nick and Sara returned to the Denali to don coveralls, hardhats, and headlamps so they could do a preliminary assessment of the crime scene before they determined if they were going to need that extra lighting.  
  
The body was about twenty-five feet in, underneath what they surmised was the kitchen from the plumbing that snaked through the floor. At first glance, the victim appeared to be young, blond and female. She appeared to have multiple stab wounds, although the flesh had bloated considerably so it was difficult to tell. They photographed the scene and made their way back outside to breathe fresh air until the coroner arrived.  
  
The assistant coroner David arrived to remove the body, and after he left taking the body to the morgue, Nick and Sara went back under the house to continue processing the scene, not really thinking that they were going to need the extra lighting that was on the way. They began to search the scene for any trace evidence the killer might have left behind. As they crawled in a methodical fashion through the crawl space, a loud noise sounded overhead and the house shook.  
  
Sara's head shot up. "What the hell was that?"  
  
Nick continued searching the ground. "Nellis Air Force Base isn't too far from here. Probably a fighter jet out doing maneuvers." He continued on with his task. "It is six o'clock in the morning, military's been up for hours already."  
  
"Do you remember that case that Catherine had a while back where the house collapsed from the vibration from those things?" Sara sounded nervous.  
  
Nick calmly dismissed her remark. "That was a freak accident, Sara. We're perfectly safe."  
  
Still, Sara couldn't shake the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach as she continued the search. Something caught in the light of her headlamp. "Nick, I think I've got something here."  
  
He crawled over to where she was and looked at the small scrap of fabric caught on a nail near where the house met the foundation, and just a few feet beyond where they'd found the body. "Could be the vic's, hard to tell though."  
  
"Could be the killer's." Sara responded, photographing the fabric before using a pair of tweezers to pull it off the nail and slide it into a bindle.  
  
Nick glanced up and noticed a dark stain in the flooring above them. "Sara, what do you make of that?" A wide grin shone on his face.  
  
She pulled out a swab from her kit and rubbed it along the stain, holding it out as Nick put a drop of phenolphthalein on it to test for the presence of blood. As it turned pink, she tossed him a coy expression. "I'd say our primary crime scene is above us."  
  
"Let's finish the rest of this and then go hit the kitchen." Nick was pumped that they'd found something that might not have been readily apparent from above.  
  
They carefully photographed the stain and then continued with their search. As they began to move back toward the crawlspace opening along the foundation wall, they felt a sudden violent lurching of the ground, followed by a violent shaking.  
  
Sara let out a scream as they hunched against the foundation wall. Nick tried to shield her from falling debris as the house began to lurch and the floor above them began to collapse. 


	2. Trapped

As the shaking subsided, Nick lifted his head and turned his attention to his coworker. "Sara, are you ok?"  
  
A very scared looking Sara Sidle glanced up at him and then glanced around at their surroundings, her headlamp illuminating the space. "Nick." There was a detectable waver in her voice.  
  
He glanced around in the dim light and noticed that much of the floor above them had collapsed into the crawlspace, leaving them in a small void against the foundation. "Sara, I'm sure that the guys outside will get us out of here really soon. Do you have your cell phone?"  
  
Sara shook her head. "I left it in the Denali on my utility belt. You?"  
  
"Damn. I left mine in there too, along with my gun, and the rest of the stuff on my utility belt. These coveralls aren't really compatible with all that stuff." He pivoted around so he could sit down against the foundation wall. There wasn't enough room to straighten his legs out all the way, so he just sat there with his arms around his knees.  
  
Sara did the same, glancing over at him with a worried expression. "How are we going to get out of here?"  
  
As if to emphasize the danger of the situation, the house began to creak again.  
  
Sara gripped Nick's arm and hid her head against his shoulder. "Nick."  
  
Nick reached his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her reassuringly. "We're going to be fine, Sara."  
  
"You also said that a house collapsing was a freak accident." Sara huffed.  
  
Nick chuckled in spite of the severity of the situation. "An earthquake is not my fault, Sara."  
  
"I didn't say it was." Sara replied harshly.  
  
Nick let out a deep sigh. It was obvious that his friend and coworker was scared. "Listen, Sara, I know this isn't exactly the funnest situation in the world, but we're going to have to make the best of it until someone gets us out of here."  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm just scared." Sara breathed out quietly.  
  
"I know." Nick answered her, giving her shoulder another squeeze.  
  
The silence was overbearing as each of them was lost in their own thoughts.  
  
"Let's talk." Sara's voice intruded loudly.  
  
Nick glanced over at her. "What do you want to talk about?"  
  
"Do you remember the 1989 Bay Area earthquake?" Sara began.  
  
Nick chuckled softly. "Yeah, I remember it, it interrupted the World Series. But why do you want to talk about an earthquake at a time like this?"  
  
Sara's fingers gripped Nick's arm. "My grandmother died in that earthquake."  
  
"Sara, we're not going to die." Nick tried to assure her.  
  
"You don't know that." Sara reasoned; her voice thick with fear.  
  
"No I don't know that, but we already beat the odds by getting stuck in this void rather than under the debris." Nick reasoned back. "We're going to get out of here."  
  
"Shortly before that earthquake I was in my senior year in high school and I'd just found out that I'd been accepted to Harvard. I went down to San Francisco to visit my grandmother at her apartment. She lived on the second floor of this four story apartment building right down near the Fisherman's Wharf district. She sent me out to go pick something up at the grocery store she'd forgotten so she could make something special for dinner to celebrate. I had just finished in the check out line when the earthquake hit. When I got back to the apartment, the fourth floor of her building was just about level with the sidewalk." Sara sounded almost like she was in a trance.  
  
"Sara." Nick whispered and hugged her reassuringly. He was just as scared as she was, but he didn't want to let it show. One of them needed to keep a clear head, and it looked like it was going to have to be him.  
  
"Have you ever been in a major earthquake, Nick?" Sara wondered aloud.  
  
Nick couldn't help the smile that flickered across his face. "Including this one?"  
  
Sara chuckled in spite of herself. "Sorry."  
  
"No, besides this one, I have never been in a major earthquake. So I guess before now, I was an earthquake virgin." Nick hoped this would help lighten the mood a little.  
  
Sara raised her eyebrow at him, looking more amused than she felt. "An earthquake virgin."  
  
He nodded, trying to look serious and cheeky at the same time. "Yep, I lost my earthquake virginity to Sara Sidle."  
  
She swatted at him and let out a soft laugh.  
  
"Made you laugh." Nick teased with a grin which belied his uneasiness at the precarious situation they were in.  
  
Sara smiled finding herself feeling a bit more relaxed in spite of the situation. "You do that a lot. Thanks."  
  
"No problem. Anytime you need to laugh in the middle of a life and death situation, let me know." Nick smiled.  
  
They heard the sound of muffled voices and started to yell, hoping that they could be heard through the rubble.  
  
Outside, the crime scene investigation had turned into a rescue mission. Gil Grissom had arrived on the scene with Catherine Willows and Warrick Brown in tow, waiting for word about the two young CSIs trapped under the rubble in front of them that had once been a house. 


	3. Praying

Grissom's face seemed to be etched into a perma-frown. Ever since he'd gotten the phone call from Brass that two of his CSIs had been underneath a house near Nellis Air Force Base when the magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit, and had not yet emerged, he was beside himself with worry.  
  
The damage from the earthquake itself wasn't very widespread. Most everything in Vegas was fairly new and built to the latest seismic codes. The Strip and surrounding area rode the quake out very well. It seemed that the area around Nellis Air Force Base near where the epicenter was located was the hardest hit.  
  
As they had driven to the site, Catherine had speculated that perhaps the reason for the collapse was due in part to the vibration caused by the low flying fighter jets that flew in and out of the base. Not that Grissom was inclined to immediately disagree with her, he just wanted to wait until the evidence was in to determine a cause. At the moment, even he wasn't concentrating on the evidence though. He just wanted to find out if Nick and Sara had somehow survived the collapse. There was always the possibility that they'd been lucky and had found themselves in a void, but even that would make extrication extremely difficult, for if the weight of the debris shifted even slightly, they could be crushed to death.  
  
Grissom tried to crowd out those thoughts. He glanced over and noticed Warrick frantically pacing the way a dog would when they knew someone was on the other side of a closed door. Catherine just stood there staring at the rubble. Grissom knew he echoed her thoughts. The house that had collapsed on Nick and Sara had sustained the most damage of any they'd seen on the way out to the scene.  
  
A shout went up near the side of the house from one of the rescue workers. "I hear voices, sir!"  
  
Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick all looked at each other. No words were exchanged as the rescue crews tried to establish contact.  
  
"We've got two victims inside!" Another shout went out. "Both uninjured!"  
  
A collective sigh of relief went out from the trio of CSIs standing there waiting. Nick and Sara had survived the collapse. But they also knew that this was only step one. They still had to be rescued from the rubble, and if there were any aftershocks, anything at all that could cause the rubble to shift, they might still be crushed to death.  
  
Now that they had determined that they were alive, the rescue crews went to work trying to pinpoint their exact location. Then they would have to carefully begin removing debris to reach them, a process which could take hours. In the meantime, Grissom, a man not given to offer prayers, shot a few heavenward.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"See, Sara, I told you they'd find us." Nick tried to maintain a cheerful demeanor in spite of the fact that he knew all too well that they were still in a very precarious situation.  
  
Sara had found herself leaning against Nick, trying to take comfort in the presence of another human being. The fact that Nick was her friend, was a bonus. "Tell me your most embarrassing moment."  
  
Nick chuckled, he would be willing to divulge almost anything at this point if it would help them both stay calm and distract them from the situation. "My most embarrassing moment, huh? Well, there's so many to choose from."  
  
"I'm sure you've got one that stands out from the rest." Sara insisted, her head resting against his shoulder.  
  
"Ok. When I was a sophomore in high school, I wanted to ask this girl out, Sheila Thompson was her name. I'd known her since the first grade, so it's not like I needed to introduce myself. Anyway, I worked up the courage to ask her to the homecoming dance, and she actually said yes." Nick explained.  
  
Sara put a hand on his knee and interrupted him. "Just when does this get embarrassing?"  
  
"Patience, Sara, patience. We have time." He chuckled softly, praying silently that they did indeed have time. "Anyway, so we went to this dance, and we were having a really great time. There was this guy walking around with a video camera, and the live images were being flashed up on this screen over the stage in the gym. Just about the time he was walking by me and Sheila, one of my buddies decides that I need to flash the entire crowd, so he pulled my pants down and everyone in the entire gym got a front row seat to view my ass."  
  
Sara put her hand over her mouth to try and stifle her laughter. "That's funny."  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "You asked for my most embarrassing moment. What could be more embarrassing than baring my ass involuntarily? Ok, besides the fact that I was wearing MC Hammer styled pants at the time."  
  
"So did she go out with you again?" Sara was still laughing.  
  
Nick shook his head. "Nope. Her family moved away shortly after that. She was probably so scarred by the experience that they had to flee the state."  
  
"Ah, Nick, I bet you have a cute ass." Sara tried to feign sympathy.  
  
Nick grinned at her. "Well, Sara Sidle, are you flirting with me?"  
  
She smirked at him. "Maybe I am."  
  
"What's your most embarrassing moment?" Nick looked at her inquisitively.  
  
She deadpanned. "This might be if we don't get out of here soon."  
  
Nick furrowed his brow. "How is this embarrassing? There was an earthquake."  
  
Her cheeks started to turn a little pink. "Well if we don't get out of here soon, I'm going to have to go to the bathroom."  
  
Nick tried to restrain a chuckle. "You know one advantage to these headlamps is that you can turn them off. If you have to take care of business, we'll just turn them off."  
  
Sara huffed and crossed her arms in front of her body. "Easy for you to say, if you need to take care of business, it's a whole lot easier to just whip things right out."  
  
Nick laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't design the plumbing. You'll have to take that up with the man upstairs."  
  
Sara was quiet for a few moments. Finally, her voice, barely a whisper, broke the silence. "Nick, do you believe in God?"  
  
Nick cleared his throat. He hadn't thought about church or God in years. "I guess so. My mom used to drag us to church when I was a kid, but I haven't been in years. Why?"  
  
The fear was back on her face. "Maybe we should say a prayer or something. I don't want to die."  
  
Nick pulled her against him and just held her. "I'm not very good at it, but I'll give it a try." 


	4. Fear

Time was moving excruciatingly slow as rescue crews tried to evaluate the best way to reach Nick and Sara. They'd only had muffled voice contact with them through the rubble, and every so often, they'd yell down to make sure they were still ok. The problem was, to reach them, they'd have to move a large portion of the house, or try and stabilize what was left before possibly cutting through the floor to reach them. If there was a single aftershock, or any settling of the debris during this process, things could become even more dangerous.  
  
Grissom had taken up Warrick's pacing. He kept glancing at the rubble, his brow still furrowed. Catherine was on the phone, trying to rattle a few cages to see if they could bring in anything more by pulling strings with people she knew in the County Engineer's office. Warrick just sat there staring. Two of his closest friends were trapped under several tons of rubble and he didn't want to entertain the possibilities of what could happen. He just kept his eyes transfixed on the rescue workers, knowing in his heart somehow, they had to get out alive.  
  
Footsteps sounded behind the trio and they all glanced up. A concerned Greg Sanders with bags of food in hand walked toward them. "I thought you might need something to eat."  
  
Grissom's expression softened slightly. Greg was right, none of the three had thought to eat since the ordeal had started and none of them would be leaving until it was over. "Thanks, Greg."  
  
Catherine was busy on the phone and Warrick just mumbled his thanks. Greg sat down on the ground next to him, staring at the rubble. "They're going to be ok. This is Nick and Sara. They're going to be ok."  
  
Warrick glanced at him. "Yeah, they'll be ok." He wasn't sure he believed it, but maybe if they repeated it enough times, it would be true.  
  
Catherine ended her call and looked directly at Grissom. "The County engineer is headed out here with a couple of structural engineers to see if they can offer a better perspective on this whole thing."  
  
"Thanks." Grissom went back to pacing.  
  
Catherine glanced at Greg. "Thanks for coming out here, Greg."  
  
He looked up at her with a serious expression. "I couldn't just stay at the lab while they're in there. Besides, everything there is a big mess."  
  
"Greg, what about the evidence?" Grissom was concerned that Greg leaving things in shambles might compromise a case.  
  
Greg looked directly at him. "I made sure all the samples were secure before I left. All that's left is broken glass from test tubes."  
  
Catherine shot Grissom a glare and he just shrugged his shoulders at her.  
  
Warrick's patience snapped. "Why the hell aren't they doing anything?"  
  
Catherine crouched down next to him and placed a hand on his arm. "Warrick, they're doing everything they can to get them out. It's just going to take time. We're all worried about them."  
  
Warrick rested his face in his hands and nodded his head. "I know, Cath, I know."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The house creaked as a mild aftershock hit.  
  
Sara screamed and Nick tried to shield her with his body as more debris fell. As it subsided, Nick took stock of the situation. The void was definitely a little smaller. They were running out of time.  
  
Sara clung to him and started to cry. "We're going to die, Nick. I don't want to die."  
  
"Shh, Sara, we're not going to die." He held her close and tried to soothe her frayed nerves with his voice while he rubbed her back. He was trying to soothe himself as well, because he was scared to death. "It's gonna be ok. They're gonna get us out of here and we'll be laughing about this by next week."  
  
Sara continued to cry. She was absolutely petrified. She had never been one to enjoy enclosed spaces in the first place and the danger of the situation and what had happened to her grandmother only intensified her fear. "I don't want to die, Nick." She clutched the front of his coveralls with her fists.  
  
"Hey, what's all this talk about dying? We're both too young to talk like this. Besides, I haven't gotten you to fall for the Stokes' charm yet." Nick tried to sound light hearted, but he felt anything but.  
  
Sara wiped at her tears. "You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone that I fell apart if we get out of here." She knew that Nick was trying to get her to remain calm, something she was having a hard time doing.  
  
"Promise." Nick could tell that she was trying to steel herself. "In fact, if you want, you can tell them that I was the one that fell apart."  
  
Sara started to laugh again.  
  
Nick was worried. Her emotions were a swinging pendulum. "So you didn't say anything about me trying to get you to fall for the Stokes' charm." He thought if he could get her to talk again, about anything that maybe she'd calm down a little bit. He was worried that if she didn't calm down soon, that she'd go into shock.  
  
"Are you flirting with me?" She wiped her nose with her sleeve.  
  
"Sure I am. What more could a guy want? Close quarters, a beautiful woman, snot on your sleeve." Nick teased. He was only half joking. He'd been attracted to Sara since the moment he met her. Outside of flirting though, he'd never made a move.  
  
She chuckled. "I didn't seem to be able to find a Kleenex."  
  
"Did I mention that you're resourceful?" Nick thought if they could keep talking, he could keep his mind off of the fear he felt building in the pit of his own stomach.  
  
For the first time, Sara consciously realized that she wasn't the only one stuck under the rubble; that perhaps this ordeal might be getting to Nick as well. She loosened her hold on his coveralls and looked at his face. "Nick, how are you doing?"  
  
He tried to keep up his brave front, but the fear in the pit of his stomach was getting worse. He let out a deep breath and fought the tears that threatened to form at the corners of his eyes. His chin quivered slightly as he answered her. "I'm scared, Sara." 


	5. Contact

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Sara's voice was too calm as she saw fear spreading across Nick's face.  
  
A single tear slid down Nick's dust coated cheek as he shook his head. "I sure as hell hope not. I don't want to die any more than you do." He continued to fight the fear that welled up within him. "I'm scared, Sara, but that doesn't mean we won't get out of here. I've been scared lots of times and gotten out of sticky situations."  
  
Sara studied him, not quite believing him, but desperately wanting to. "Name one time."  
  
He took a couple of deep breaths. "Nigel Crane." He really didn't need to say more. The stalker had cause Nick quite a bit of anguish and a lot of sleeplessness. A fact that the entire team was well aware of.  
  
Sara leaned her head back onto his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Nick. I've been thinking of nothing but myself since we got stuck in here."  
  
Nick sniffed and let out a chuckle. "It's ok, Sara. Just so you know, you can always ask me anything. You don't need to apologize."  
  
"How come you didn't tell me you were scared earlier?" She had concern in her voice.  
  
"What good would that do? You were so scared that I thought it would just make it even worse." Nick reasoned.  
  
"We're quite a pair." Sara had a faint smile on her face.  
  
Nick hugged her. "Yeah, we are."  
  
They were quiet for a few minutes. They could still hear the muffled voices of the rescue crew outside. They both knew that they would be trying to find the best way to get them safely out of the rubble, but it would probably still be some time before they were free. They heard some pounding above them and a scraping noise of something sliding toward them. The pair clung to each other tightly as they braced themselves to have more debris showered upon them. Instead, a small object hit Nick's hardhat and then skittered to the ground.  
  
Nick glanced over and then smiled as he spotted a cell phone. He reached for it, just as it rang. "Hello."  
  
Grissom's voice sounded thick with concern. "Nicky? Are you ok? How's Sara?"  
  
Nick breathed out deeply and his voice was thick with emotion. "Grissom, we're both ok, but we'd really like to get out of here soon, if things start shifting again, we could have a real problem."  
  
Sara looked worried as she watched Nick's face.  
  
He glanced up at her and held the phone between them so they both could hear. He knew that hearing a voice outside the confines of their prison would give her hope that they'd be able to get out.  
  
"Grissom?" Sara's voice sounded tentative.  
  
"You ok, Sara?" Grissom sounded like a concerned father. He, like the rest of the team, was well aware that she was somewhat claustrophobic.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I mean neither of us is hurt, but how soon can they get us out of here?" Sara tried to squash the panic building in her voice.  
  
"I'm going to hand the phone to the rescue squad commander and he's going to let you know what's going on. Ok? Just hang on a little while longer; they're going to get you and Nicky out." Grissom continued, trying to sound calm.  
  
"Ok." Sara breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. She felt Nick rubbing her back in an effort to soothe her. She looked into his eyes and smiled softly as she waited for the rescue squad commander to get on the line.  
  
"This is Commander Reynolds. Am I talking to Sara or Nick?" The voice on the other end sounded professional and in control.  
  
Sara answered him. "Uh, actually we can both hear you."  
  
"Ok, good. This is what we're going to try and do. We've pinpointed where you are under the house. A good deal of the foundation is exposed at that point, so we're going to try and cut through the concrete and make a hole big enough for you to crawl through." He sounded as if they'd thought the plan through quite thoroughly.  
  
Nick was a little concerned as to where they were going to break through, since he and Sara had limited space in the void to move away from the foundation. "Uh, Commander Reynolds, we don't have a lot of space to move in here. We could have a problem if you plan on cutting through right where we are."  
  
"Ok, that's what I need to know. How much space would you say you have in there?" He continued.  
  
Nick surveyed the area. "Well, we're sitting side by side and we don't have enough room to straighten our legs out."  
  
"Ok." Commander Reynolds was quiet for a moment. "Uh, can you cross your legs?"  
  
"Yeah, but it'll be tight for both of us to do that." Nick replied.  
  
"Uh, I'm not sure how good of friends you two are, but you're going to have to get real close here for the next few minutes." The commander continued.  
  
"What exactly did you have in mind?" Sara was slightly amused at the man's concern. At the moment, she would do just about anything to get out of there alive.  
  
"Uh, Nick, if you'll cross your legs, and, Sara, if you'll sit on his lap and pull your legs as tightly against you as possible, we'll drill into the foundation right next to you." He explained.  
  
"Ok." Nick answered for both of them. "Uh, but how are you going to know exactly where to drill?"  
  
"Uh, the police department brought out some thermal imaging equipment. We can tell where you are." He answered.  
  
"Ok, let's do this." Nick answered.  
  
"We'll call you back periodically to check on you and let you know our progress." The commander answered before ending the call.  
  
"Well, Sara, you about ready to get out of here?" Nick smiled crossing his legs.  
  
"Hell, yes." She answered as she sat on his lap and pulled her legs close. She rested her head against his shoulder and let him wrap his arms around her waist as they waited to be rescued. 


	6. Frazzled

"This is taking so long." Sara sounded stressed and tired as she rested her head against Nick's shoulder. She felt fear welling up again and was trying to do her best to stifle it.  
  
Nick rubbed her back and tried to make her laugh. "Hey, I bet those guys out there are placing bets on how fast they can get us out of here. In fact I bet the winner gets to ask you on a date."  
  
She chuckled softly. "Thanks for trying to make me laugh, Nick." She let out a deep breath. "I highly doubt though that when they take one look at me that any of them are going to want to ask me out."  
  
"Why wouldn't they? You're beautiful." Nick's was completely serious.  
  
Sara started to laugh. "You're crazy. I smell like death from that decomp, I've got dust all over me, and I'm sure my face is a mess from crying."  
  
Nick smiled. "Sara, in case you haven't noticed, I don't smell very nice either, and ditto on the dust."  
  
"I was going to talk to you about that." Sara tried to quip, the comment falling flat.  
  
They were both quiet for a few moments, listening to the muffled sound of the rescue workers outside.  
  
"Nick?" Sara's voice quivered.  
  
"Yeah?" Nick replied, trying to keep his tone steady.  
  
"I'll buy the lemons." She sniffled as a tear slid down her cheek. "If we get out of here, I'll buy the lemons."  
  
Nick hugged her tightly. "Hey." There was a fierceness in his voice. "Not if, Sara, but when we get out of here. And no, I'm buying the lemons. It's my turn."  
  
Sara started to cry again. "Nick, I hate to tell you this right now, but I really have to go to the bathroom."  
  
"How bad?" Nick queried her gently. "Do you think you can hold it a little longer?" Nick knew that they'd been trapped for hours, but wasn't exactly sure what time it was and at the moment, didn't want to reach for the cell phone to check. He thought it might be around one or two, meaning they'd been under the house for seven or eight hours.  
  
"Really bad. It hurts." Sara continued crying, both from the stress of being trapped and the shame and humiliation of not being able to use the bathroom.  
  
Nick tried to formulate in his mind how they could take care of this delicate situation. "Ok, so we need to figure this out. Do you think you've got enough room to take your coveralls off?"  
  
Before Sara could answer, another aftershock hit, settling the debris around them even closer. She screamed and clung to Nick, digging her fingers into his coveralls, and crying hysterically. "I'm so sorry, Nick. I'm so sorry."  
  
It took Nick a moment to realize what she was talking about, until he realized that she didn't need to relieve herself anymore. "Shh, Sara, it's ok. Don't worry about it. Everything is going to be fine, do you hear me? Everything is going to be fine."  
  
"I'm so sorry." She reached up and wiped her nose on her sleeve.  
  
"Well, at least we don't need to worry about that anymore." Nick was trying to lighten the moment. They were both scared to death, but he was almost more worried about her than he was about himself.  
  
Sara started to laugh through her tears. "Please don't tell anyone that I peed on you. I think this definitely qualifies as my most embarrassing moment."  
  
"Hey, you're secret's safe with me, but I really don't think anyone's going to be paying attention to that when we get out of here." Nick replied softly rubbing her back.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Nick." She was on the verge of crying again.  
  
Nick reached over and cupped the side of her face with his hand. "Hey, look at me." His thumb caressed her cheek.  
  
She lifted her head off of his shoulder and turned to look at him.  
  
"You don't need to apologize. Ok?" He smiled softly at her and then their eyes locked.  
  
Suddenly, all Sara wanted to do was kiss Nick. She began leaning her face towards him tilting her head, trying not to hit him in the face with the rim of her hardhat. Nick leaned towards her, their lips not quite touching, when they were interrupted by the cell phone ringing.  
  
Sara pulled away, continuing to look into Nick's eyes as he reached for the cell phone.  
  
Nick didn't break eye contact as he cleared his throat before he answered the phone. "Yeah."  
  
"Nicky, are you and Sara ok?" Grissom's voice was thick with concern.  
  
"Grissom, we're ok, but what's taking them so long, it's getting smaller in here and I don't know if we can handle another aftershock." Nick's voice wavered.  
  
"We're doing everything we can, Nicky." Grissom let out a deep breath. "How's Sara holding up?"  
  
"We really need to get out of here soon." Nick tried to emphasize without saying her name.  
  
"Not good then. We'll try and get them to step things up. Try and hang in there." Grissom replied. "They're going to start cutting through the concrete."  
  
"Ok." Nick hung up the phone.  
  
Sara searched his face. "What did he say?"  
  
Nick tried to smile. "They're going to start cutting through the concrete. Shouldn't be too long now."  
  
Sara rested her head back onto Nick's shoulder. "When we get out of here, I'll buy you a beer."  
  
"Are you hitting on me, Sara?" Nick knew she'd been about to kiss him, and he had wanted it as much as she did. But truth be told, he really didn't want to kiss her under these circumstances. He'd rather take her out on a date and kiss her properly and thoroughly.  
  
"Maybe I am. You did say that you never had a chance to make me to fall for the Stokes' charm." She replied, playing at the collar of his coveralls with her fingers, as much to distract herself as to flirt.  
  
"Well then, when we get out of here I promise to do my best to charm you over a beer." Nick smiled.  
  
Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a concrete saw cutting through the foundation. As the tip of the saw broke through, light filtered in, and Nick and Sara let out a sigh of relief. They were so close to getting out.  
  
Over the next twenty minutes, an opening large enough to crawl through was formed. One of the rescue workers poked his head in. "Ok, do you think you can crawl out on your own?"  
  
"Yeah." Sara answered for them both.  
  
He smiled and gestured for her to follow. "Alright then, come on out." The worker disappeared into the light.  
  
Nick helped Sara off of his lap and grinned at her as she crawled toward the opening. She glanced back at him with a grin before disappearing into the light. Nick brought himself to his knees and moved to follow when another aftershock hit.  
  
From outside, Sara looked back to see debris covering the opening from the inside. She sank to the ground and screamed. "Nick!" 


	7. Hysteria

Sara visibly crumpled, becoming completely hysterical as she realized that Nick was still trapped underneath the house; a house that she now had a better view of; a house that resembled nothing of the structure that she and Nick had crawled under hours before to process a crime scene. Images of the scene of the 1989 Bay Area earthquake flooded her mind and the sting of her grandmother's death hit her full force as she realized that Nick might have just met a similar fate.  
  
The rescue workers tried to move her away from the house, to get checked out by the paramedics, but she refused. She kept muttering over and over. "You have to buy the lemons. It's you're turn." Tears streamed freely down her cheeks and she found that she had no strength left in her legs.  
  
Grissom approached her with concern on his face. "Sara, you need to let the paramedics look you over. We need to make sure you're ok."  
  
She just shook her head. "He has to buy the lemons. It's his turn."  
  
"Sara." Grissom wasn't following what she was saying. No one was following what she was saying. All they could tell was that she'd just gone through a very traumatic ordeal and was obviously very upset. The fact that Nick hadn't gotten out before the debris covered the hole just compounded things.  
  
"No, I'm not leaving! He has to buy the lemons." Sara continued to cry, wrapping her arms around her legs.  
  
Grissom placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sara, let the paramedics check you over."  
  
Sara shrugged his hand away and continued crying hysterically.  
  
"Grissom." Catherine cleared her throat and gestured to Grissom.  
  
He stood up with a perplexed expression on his face. "Something about lemons."  
  
Catherine gestured for him to follow her out of earshot of Sara. "They can't get Nick to answer the phone."  
  
Grissom's face fell. He felt as if he'd had someone kick him in the gut. "Tell them to try again."  
  
"Grissom, it doesn't look good. He said there wasn't much space in there and the opening is completely covered." Catherine tried to talk it out. She was trying to keep her emotions out of the situation.  
  
Grissom narrowed his gaze at Catherine. "I will not give up until we know for sure. Do you understand? Find a way in there. For all we know, the phone is broken. It doesn't mean that Nick." Grissom couldn't bring himself to say the words. None of them even wanted to think it.  
  
Warrick had moved to sit next to Sara on the ground and simply wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. He could tell that no one was going to get her to move away from the scene until she saw Nick with her own eyes, whether or not he was breathing. They just had to hope that Nick was still ok, that the void had just gotten smaller and that he'd managed to take refuge in it.  
  
Greg came and sat down next to Warrick and Sara. He reached over for her hand and just held it as tears streamed freely down his face. Nick was like the big brother he'd never had. He knew some of what Sara was feeling. He'd lost an uncle in the Bay Area earthquake. He had been crushed to death in his car on the Oakland Bay Bridge. He and Sara had talked about her grandmother once when she'd found out he'd lived in San Francisco for a little while and he'd told her about his uncle. All they could do was offer each other support and wait. Waiting was the hardest.  
  
"He was supposed to buy the lemons." Sara began to mutter again. Her voice was choked with sobs.  
  
A smile played at Warrick's lips. He knew that the pair traded off buying lemons to scour out the smell when they pulled a decomp, and he knew that this was how this case had started out. "Sara, I'll make him buy the lemons. He's got to be ok. You've got to believe that."  
  
"Warrick, he was right behind me. He's supposed to be out here. We're supposed to be laughing about this by next week." She was rambling and crying. Her heart was breaking into a million pieces. She had discovered that while she was stuck in that void with Nick that she'd never had a better friend in her entire life and that she was in love with him.  
  
Greg squeezed her hand. "Sara, he's going to be ok. This is Nick. He has to be ok."  
  
Sara glanced up at him and met his gaze. She could see her pain reflected in his eyes. She could tell that everyone else was hurting too, that they were all waiting, together, for word about Nick. "He has to be. He has to buy the lemons." She started crying again and collapsed against Warrick sobbing.  
  
Grissom and Catherine stood at a distance talking to Commander Reynolds. Grissom was insistent. "We need to try again. He's in there and he's going to come out ok, I don't care what you're gut tells you. I go by the evidence, and right now there is no evidence that Nick is dead. I'll get the thermal imaging equipment back here and we'll go again. We are not giving up."  
  
The commander went back to his crew and they began to evaluate how to approach the situation, hoping that Grissom was right, but feeling in their gut that it was most likely too late for the young CSI.  
  
Catherine got back on the phone and started rattling cages again, trying to find some piece of equipment that would help them lift the house, something that would allow them to free Nick and find out if he was still alive, or if the rescue commander was right and Nick was dead. She watched Sara as she talked on the phone, her heart going out to the young woman. She knew that Nick and Sara had a strong bond between them, and that they had been through hell over the last several hours while they'd been trapped. It was natural that Sara would be upset, but as Catherine watched her, she surmised that it was quite possible that the relationship between them was much deeper than any of them had previously suspected. If Catherine had been a betting woman, she'd bet her last dollar that Sara was in love with Nick.  
  
Sara was dangerously close to going into shock as she continued to stare at the crumple house, watching for any sign that Nick was alive, that he'd be out there with them soon.  
  
The rescue crews kept calling into the house, hoping that Nick would answer, but all they got in return was silence. 


	8. Waiting

Grissom continued pacing, waiting for the thermal imaging equipment to arrive back at the site. He studied his team, which was really helpless to do anything besides watch and wait. Warrick held Sara, who just continued to stare at the foundation of the crumpled house. Grissom was worried about her. He had never seen her in quite the state she was in currently. He wasn't sure what to do about it either. His requests that she get checked out by the paramedics went unheeded by her. The paramedics in turn assured him that they would watch her and if it appeared she needed immediate medical attention, they would move in.  
  
Greg kept going between wanting everyone to eat something to sitting with Sara and holding her hand. Grissom could tell that this was very hard on him. He knew that Nick and Greg were like brothers and that the young lab tech was dying inside.  
  
Catherine, who had kept her head through all of this, was starting to lose it. She had gotten several phone calls from Lindsey, who was at her sister's house and was physically fine, but scared from all the shaking the earthquake had caused. Catherine was torn between wanting to go home and take care of her daughter and wanting to stay and wait for word about Nick. She and Nick had become close over the course of working together and she'd often offered him motherly advice. She was worried about him, and scared to death that maybe he hadn't made it. With each passing moment, her fears intensified and she could see that fear reflected on the faces of her colleagues.  
  
The thermal imaging equipment finally arrived back at the scene. The rescue workers carried the device back to the site where they had extracted Sara and tried to see if they could pinpoint Nick's location and then determine any movements or change in body heat. As they pinpointed his location, the technician began to describe what he saw. "There's no movement, sir."  
  
That's all Sara heard and she began crying hysterically and mumbling incoherently. "Nick, you promised. Oh, Nick."  
  
Warrick tried to comfort her, but she was inconsolable. "Sara, he's going to be ok, this is Nick we're talking about."  
  
The technician continued. "Body heat is consistent, sir."  
  
Sara was sobbing against Warrick's chest. "Nick, I love you. I never got to tell you. Nick, you promised. You're supposed to charm me. Nick."  
  
Warrick just held her and fought his own tears. In all the time that he'd known Sara he'd never seen her like this. She was usually the picture of control. He had thought for a long time that Nick was in love with Sara. Although when he had asked Nick about it on several occasions, he would deny it, but Warrick was fairly certain that the only reason for his denial was that he didn't think Sara returned his feelings. Warrick fought to keep control of his emotions as he felt that fate was trying to deliver such a cruel blow to two of his closest friends.  
  
Catherine watched Sara, and the intensity of the situation finally hit her. She found her own tears sliding down her cheeks as she realized that it might be too late for Nick.  
  
Grissom's jaw went slack. His entire team was falling apart and he felt like he was about to join them.  
  
Finally, some words of reason broke through the fog of grief. "Body heat staying consistent."  
  
Grissom's head snapped up. "We need to get him out now!"  
  
Commander Reynolds glanced over at Grissom and tried to calm him. "Dr. Grissom, we're going to try and get Nick out as quickly and as safely as possible, but we don't know the extent of his injuries if he's still alive and the last thing we want to do is rush getting him out, especially if there are any crushing injuries."  
  
Grissom nodded. He knew the commander was right, a person who sustained massive crushing injuries might appear fine until they were extracted, and then quickly bleed out because the pressure that had been applied to their wounds was released. The last thing he wanted was for Nick to be pulled out too soon if it would further endanger his life. At least for now, his body temperature was staying consistent which told him he was probably still alive.  
  
Catherine made her way over to Grissom, tears were evident on her face. "How long?"  
  
Grissom looked at her for a moment and then glanced over at Sara, his brow furrowing in worry before looking back at Catherine. "See if you can get Sara to move away from the scene. She doesn't need to see this if it turns out badly after what she's already been through."  
  
Catherine nodded. "You know we're not going to be able to don't you?"  
  
He nodded and let out a deep sigh. "Just try, Cath."  
  
Catherine walked over to Sara and knelt down. "Hey, Sara, why don't you let me get you a change of clothes and help you get cleaned up?"  
  
Sara shook her head. "I'm not leaving until I see Nick." Tears still ran freely down her cheeks.  
  
Catherine let out a deep breath and Warrick glanced up at her. "Cath, I'll stay here with Sara until they get Nick out."  
  
"Me too." Greg added, looking earnest.  
  
She nodded and patted Sara on the shoulder. "They're going to get him out, Sara. He's going to be ok. This is Nick." It sounded as if she was trying to convince herself as much as Sara. She stood up and walked back over to Grissom.  
  
He raised an eyebrow inquisitively.  
  
Catherine shook her head. "She's not going anywhere and neither is anyone else."  
  
Grissom just nodded.  
  
They watched as the rescue squad decided that the direct approach was the best one. They were going to cut into the concrete right where they determined that Nick lay. If they found that he had sustained crushing injuries, they would deal with them at that time, but at least they would know then what they were dealing with.  
  
One of the workers began to saw into the concrete, being careful not to cut all the way through in case Nick was laying right up against it. They would cut through it part way with the saw and then use hand tools to break through the rest of the way.  
  
Progress seemed to be excruciatingly slow as everyone watched and waited, hoping against hope that when they found Nick, he would be ok.  
  
"We're almost in." One of the rescue workers shouted out.  
  
None of the CSIs said a word. They just watched and waited. Sara stared straight ahead, her gaze not wavering from the spot where she'd emerged from under the house, the spot where Nick still was. She needed to see him, to know if he was dead or alive before she would move from where she sat on the ground, oblivious to the filth that covered her.  
  
The last bit of concrete was chipped away as they finally broke through the wall. Carefully, the rescue workers pulled it away, hoping against hope that they'd find Nick alive. They shielded the view from the group of CSIs behind them, not wanting them to see their friend and coworker in case he'd been crushed to death. 


	9. Freedom

Muffled shouts and hammering sounds faded in and out in the darkness. Nick wasn't sure where he was, all he knew was that his head hurt. He tried to piece together what he could remember. He and Sara had been at a crime scene. The earthquake. Trapped. Scared. She almost kissed him. She got out. Relief. Only he was trapped. She was safe. Why was it so dark?  
  
Consciousness overtook Nick and he realized that during the aftershock, something had knocked his hardhat off and his headlamp had gone with it. The cell phone had fallen out of his grasp and he wasn't sure where it was. Lying in a fetal position and shrouded in darkness, Nick tried to take stock of the situation and determine if he was injured. One by one he moved his arms and legs and found that while he didn't seem to be injured, the lace of one of his boots was caught on something and he couldn't move his left foot. He only had an inch or two of clearance above where he lay and his knees were right up against the concrete of the foundation. Other than a nasty headache, he seemed to be doing ok. Now if he could just get out. From the sounds of things, it seemed as if the rescue crew was working to do just that. All he could do was wait and pray.  
  
His thoughts drifted to Sara in an attempt to remain calm. He was glad she had gotten out. From the amount of space left in there, they both wouldn't have fit and one or both of them would have been killed or very seriously injured if she hadn't gotten out when she did. He let out a deep sigh and could feel a tear slide down his cheek. He'd been in love with her for a long time, but had never had the courage to tell her. He silently prayed that he'd get the chance to share that beer with her, to woo her with his charm, and buy those damn lemons. Hell, he'd buy her lemons every time she worked a decomp if he could just get out and see her again. She'd come so close to kissing him and now all he could think about was wanting to kiss her senseless. He vowed that if he got out of there alive that the first thing he was going to do was find Sara so he could kiss her and tell her that he loved her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As the rescue workers pulled the concrete away, they expected to see a very seriously injured or dead man. Instead, the view that greeted them was a very dusty, very grimy, but a smiling Nick Stokes.  
  
"I sure as hell am glad to see you guys." There was relief evident in Nick's voice.  
  
"He's alive!" A cry went out from the rescue workers.  
  
Sara started to cry again, this time in relief. She had been so sure that Nick had died when he hadn't followed her out of the rubble. She didn't trust her legs quite yet, so she just continued leaning against Warrick, alternately crying and laughing.  
  
"The lace from my boot is caught." Nick informed the rescue personnel as they started to pull him out of the very small void he'd been caught in.  
  
One of the workers reached in with a small blade and cut at the lace. Once his lace was severed, the workers pulled Nick free of the rubble.  
  
Immediately he began to question them. "Where's Sara? I need to see Sara." He kept glancing anxiously around trying to spot her.  
  
"We need to check you out and make sure you're ok, sir." The paramedics had moved in and had started to check him over, taking note that he had a bump and a cut on his head.  
  
"No." Nick shook his head and continued looking for Sara. "Sara?" His brow was furrowed and once he spotted her, he pushed the paramedics aside, insisted on standing up and walking toward her, despite the paramedics' insistence that he get checked out first.  
  
She stood up next to Warrick and Greg, tears still sliding down her face. "Nick!"  
  
Nick walked toward Sara on shaky legs and cupped her face in his hands capturing her lips with a kiss infused with years of pent up passion. As Nick broke the kiss, he enveloped her in a hug, tears streaming down his face. "Oh, Sara, I love you." His voice was thick with emotion.  
  
Sara held onto him to make sure he was real, that he really was alive. "I love you too, Nick. I was afraid I wasn't ever going to see you again." Sara was crying tears of relief.  
  
A mixture of shock and amusement flickered across the faces of the rest of the team as they watched Nick and Sara who seemed to be oblivious to everyone else around them.  
  
"Shh. Hey, I had to see you again. You have to buy me a beer, remember. And it's my turn to buy the lemons." He grinned and pulled back, searching her eyes through his own tears.  
  
She sniffled as she looked into his eyes. "You weren't behind me. I was so scared."  
  
"Hey, I'm here now. I'm here now." He furrowed his brow and wiped her tears with his fingers, smearing the dust on her face in the process. "I told you we'd get out. I told you we'd be laughing about this in a week." He tried to reassure her with his voice and pulled her firmly against him again and rubbed her back.  
  
Warrick's voice broke through. "No offense; but you two smell."  
  
Nick glanced over and noticed his friend standing there with a smile on his face. "We're alive, man, we're alive."  
  
Warrick enveloped them both in a hug. "And I am so damn thankful, man." There was a catch in his voice as he released them.  
  
Sara started to laugh through her tears as she pulled away from Nick's embrace to face the rest of the team.  
  
Greg stood there grinning. "I knew you'd get out. You had to. What would we do without you?"  
  
Nick hugged Greg and clapped him on the back. "Thanks, man."  
  
Catherine was smiling as tears streamed down her face. "Nicky, thank God you're ok." She gave him a hug and then as she pulled away laughing, wrinkling her nose. "Warrick's right, you two smell."  
  
"I'll spring for the lemons." Grissom interjected with a smile.  
  
Nick shook his head. "No, I promised Sara. It's my turn." He glanced at her and smiled.  
  
Tears continued to fall down Sara's face as she smiled in return.  
  
Grissom cleared his throat and a held out a hardhat that had been split in two. He raised an eyebrow at Nick. "I think this quite possibly saved your life, Nicky. The rescue workers found it behind where you were laying, underneath a support beam."  
  
Emotion washed over Nick as he realized exactly how close he'd come to not seeing another day, to not ever seeing Sara again. Sara reached for his hand and gripped it tightly. She was thinking the same thing. 


	10. Lemons

Nick sank to the ground, the reality of how close he had come to dying sinking in. By all rights he should be dead. By some miracle, there had been just enough space around his body in the void to protect him from being crushed. No part of his body had been trapped by debris, and the rescue crew had been able to pull him out after only cutting the lace on his boot. The hardhat had protected him from serious injury or death and as Nick looked at it in Grissom's hands he realized that perhaps the prayers that he had sent heavenward had worked. Someone was looking out for him, perhaps had a purpose for him. An overwhelming sense of gratefulness hit him and he looked over at Sara who had sat down next to him.  
  
For the first time the rubble that he'd been freed from registered in his mind. Tears began to stream down his face again and choking sobs overtook him as he rested his face in his hands. Even though he'd had a gun pulled on him twice in his career since coming to Vegas, being trapped under rubble as the result of a major earthquake was a completely different life and death situation. Each movement of the rubble had been a reminder of his mortality, and as the time had stretched on both he and Sara's nerves had become raw. Only the company of each other had helped them keep from complete panic. The fact that he'd been trapped longer, had given him longer to think, and now that he was free, it all hit him full force.  
  
Sara wrapped her arms around Nick and just held him as they sat on the ground, facing the rubble they'd been freed from. Each of them was well aware of how blessed they were to just be alive.  
  
Grissom looked at them with concern etched on his face. He knew that physically Nick and Sara appeared to be ok, but emotionally and mentally there would probably be residual effects from the experience for quite a while.  
  
The paramedics swarmed in over Nick and Sara and ushered them off to the back of a waiting ambulance to get checked over. Now that Sara knew that Nick was safe, she finally consented to let the paramedics check her out. Other than being exhausted, dirty, and somewhat dehydrated, she was fine.  
  
When Nick found out that she had refused treatment while he was still trapped he gently chided her. "Sar, you should have let them check you out." His brow furrowed as he studied her.  
  
She looked at him with a pleading expression on her face as a small cut on his forehead was treated by one of the paramedics. "I couldn't leave. I needed to know what happened to you. I thought I'd never see you again.  
  
The paramedic worked silently as Nick and Sara continued to talk softly in the back of the ambulance.  
  
"Sara, I'm so glad you got out of there when you did. If you hadn't we might have both died." Nick replied earnestly.  
  
Sara's face was a myriad of expressions. "I was so scared, Nick."  
  
He reached over and took her hand. "I know, Sara, I was scared too."  
  
The paramedic interjected. "You're both good to go. Just get some fluids and rest. Nick if you start feeling dizzy, you might still want to go to the ER."  
  
"Thanks, man." Nick answered him. He turned back to Sara. "Let's get out of here. I still owe you some lemons." A grin started to spread across his face.  
  
They descended from the back of the ambulance and found Grissom who was trying to figure out whether the crime scene was salvageable. He glanced up as he saw Nick and Sara approaching. "I'm going to take over your crime scene. I want both of you to go home and get some rest. We'll talk about the case when you've had a chance to sleep. Warrick's going to drive you back to the lab." He delivered his statements in a perfunctory fashion.  
  
Nick nodded. "Thanks, Gris, but you should know that we think that the kitchen might have been the primary crime scene. The underside of the flooring was stained with blood. We didn't get a chance to check out the kitchen before the earthquake hit."  
  
"We also found some sort of cloth snagged on a nail. If you locate our kits, the evidence should be inside." Sara added.  
  
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Now get out of here and get some rest. We've got it under control." Grissom chided.  
  
"Thanks for everything." Nick tried to keep the emotion out of his voice.  
  
Grissom cast them both a fatherly look. "We were worried about you both. I'm just glad things turned out ok."  
  
They both nodded at him and headed toward the Denali where Warrick waited for them.  
  
They rode back to the lab in relative silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Warrick watched them with a mixture of concern and gratefulness that they had both gotten out alive. When they arrived at the lab, Nick and Sara made their way to the locker room. On each of their lockers hung a bag of lemons. Apparently, Grissom had asked someone to make sure they had some when they got back.  
  
Sara glanced at Nick quizzically.  
  
He started to chuckle. "I bet Grissom did that."  
  
Sara smiled as she finally took in their attire. "I guess we would look a little strange walking through a grocery store like this to buy lemons."  
  
Nick laughed. "We do smell."  
  
Sara smirked. "Yeah, and at least part of that is my fault."  
  
Nick cast her a soft glance. "Hey, I told you not to worry about that. Ok?" He reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.  
  
"Ok." Sara responded quietly.  
  
Nick released her hand and each of them grabbed a change of clothes out of their lockers before grabbing the lemons and parting ways to take their respective showers.  
  
A while later, Sara was sitting on the bench in front of the lockers dressed in fresh clean clothes towel drying her hair and staring off in to space when Nick finally returned wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a sweatshirt. He studied her for a moment and then sat down next to her.  
  
Sara looked over at him and whispered. "I'm scared to go home and be alone, Nick." Her voice sounded so small and vulnerable; very un-Sara- like.  
  
He pulled her close, his arms securely around her. "I understand, I don't want to be alone either. Do you want to come over?" His voice was just a whisper.  
  
Sara leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yeah, I do. I need to get some clothes from my apartment first though."  
  
"Ok." Nick kissed her forehead and then stood up and stowed his gear in his locker.  
  
Sara put the rest of her things away and then they made their way out to Nick's Denali before driving over to Sara's apartment, silently wondering if the earthquake had done any damage. 


	11. Aftermath

As Nick and Sara ascended the steps to Sara's second floor apartment, a bit of trepidation of what they might find inside hit them both. Sara felt as if she was holding her breath as she unlocked the door and pushed it open, meeting a little resistance as a small table that normally sat next to the door had fallen over. Nick picked up the table and righted it as the pair entered the apartment. A bookcase housing the many forensic journals that Sara subscribed to had toppled over and spewed their contents all over the floor. Her glass coffee table had shattered when the bookcase hit it. Her television was sitting at a precarious angle, anchored only by the power cord; Nick quickly pushed it back onto its stand.  
  
Sara just stood there in the middle of her apartment taking it all in. The structure of the apartment had not sustained any real damage; the building was fairly new and built to the most recent seismic codes. Many of her things, however, were out of place from the shaking, and this more than anything caused her heart rate to elevate. "Nick, can we get out of here?"  
  
Nick detected fear in her voice. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "It's gonna be ok, Sara. Let's just get your things and go get some sleep. We can come back later and clean this up."  
  
She leaned into him, taking comfort from his strength, smiling at the lingering scent of lemons on his skin. She knew that it was going to be a while until she was comfortable being indoors at all, and that she was going to have to face it in the same way she did after the 1989 Bay Area earthquake that had killed her grandmother; moment by moment. But right now, all she wanted to do was have Nick hold her.  
  
She stepped out of his embrace and looked into his eyes. "I know it's just going to take a while."  
  
There was a glimmer of a smile on her face that reassured Nick. While Sara disappeared into her bedroom to get some clothes, Nick set about picking up the bookcase and collecting the broken glass from the coffee table. He had nearly cleaned it all up when Sara returned from her bedroom. He glanced up at her and smiled. "Ready to go?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
Nick dumped the broken glass into the dumpster outside her building on their way to the Denali. As they drove to his house, Nick wondered to himself what shape it would be in when they got there. He had taken the advice of the real estate agent when he'd bought the house to bolt his water heater and bookcases to the wall for just such an event. He hoped that as a result that there would not be nearly as much to clean up once they got there. The last thing he or Sara really needed was to have to clean his house before trying to get some sleep.  
  
They pulled into Nick's driveway and made their way up the walkway to the front door. Nick flicked on the lights and from first glance, only a few things had fallen or scattered about as a result of the earthquake. Even his large TV had remained in place, due mostly to the fact that he'd anchored it to the wall as well. He breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of damage as Sara walked past him and sank down on the couch.  
  
She looked up at him. "This has been the strangest day of my entire life."  
  
Nick sat down next to her. "I know what you mean."  
  
A truck drove down the street, making a rumbling noise. Both Nick and Sara jumped a little. They looked at each other and laughed nervously. No matter how hard they tried to relax, they were both on edge.  
  
"I guess our nerves are a little frazzled, huh?" Nick tried to lighten the moment.  
  
A smile flickered across Sara's face. "Yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Every little thing makes you think that there's another earthquake happening." She let out a deep sigh as she looked at Nick. "I know we both need to get some sleep, but I'm not sure I can."  
  
Nick reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Why don't we just order some pizza and watch TV or something then. I'm not sure I can sleep right now either and besides, neither one of us has had anything to eat in a while."  
  
Sara leaned over and kissed him softly, feeling him smile against her lips. As she pulled away, she smiled. "Pizza sounds good. I think I'm just going to put my pajamas on though."  
  
Nick raised his eyebrows curiously. There was a flirtatious tone in his voice. "Pajamas, huh?"  
  
Sara smirked at she stood up and glanced back at him. "Flannel pajamas. You can see sexy some other time."  
  
Nick tried to stifle a grin.  
  
An hour later, they were both clad in pajamas sitting on the couch eating pizza and watching 'A Few Good Men'. With every truck that drove by and each time the air conditioning turned on, they both jumped a little. When they'd finished eating their pizza, they just clung to each other, wanting to make sure that the moment was real, that they were in fact safe; safe with the only other person who truly understood the fear that lingered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Grissom was finally told by the structural engineer called out to the scene that it was too dangerous to enter the rubble to try and extricate evidence. The house would be leveled and Nick and Sara's collection kits would be most likely be lost along with the evidence they held, at the very least, the evidence had been compromised and would most likely not hold up in a court of law anyway. Hopefully, by some miracle at least the photos Nick and Sara had taken of the body would be found.  
  
Grissom decided to abandon the scene after receiving assurances that if the workers found any portion of the evidence collection kits that they would turn them over to the crime lab. He headed back to the lab to see what the coroner's preliminary findings were and to attend the autopsy.  
  
The victim appeared to be a young woman in her mid to late twenties and had been stabbed twenty-seven times. According to what Nick and Sara had relayed to him, the body appeared to have been dumped under the house, and the primary crime scene might have been inside the kitchen of the house itself. Time of death was difficult to establish, but coroner Al Robbins placed it at about a week prior to when the body had been discovered.  
  
Grissom fingerprinted the body and had Warrick run them through AFIS. He was surprised when they got a hit so quickly. The victim was identified as Candace Matthews, a twenty-six year old prostitute that had been reported missing by her mother five days before. Interestingly enough, her mother, Patricia Newton, was the owner of the house that Candace Matthews' body was found under.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The movie had finished and Nick and Sara decided to try and get some sleep. They moved into Nick's bedroom and crawled under the comforter, holding onto each other as they tried to let sleep overtake them, but it seemed to elude them. 


	12. Sleeplessness

Sara could hear Nick's heart beating rapidly as her head lay on his chest. Though thoroughly exhausted, neither of them seemed to be able to fall asleep. Sara's tentative voice cut through the darkness of his bedroom. "Nick?"  
  
"Yeah?" He sounded relieved that she was still awake.  
  
"I can't sleep." She sounded frustrated.  
  
He hugged his arms more tightly around her and let out a deep sigh. "I know, I can't either."  
  
"When I close my eyes, all I can see is us under that rubble." Sara continued softly.  
  
Nick began rubbing her back, finding that the texture of her flannel pajamas was strangely soothing under his fingertips. "I know, me too."  
  
They were quiet for a few moments.  
  
"Sara?" Nick had a slight hitch in his voice.  
  
"Yeah?" Sara absentmindedly traced a pattern on the front of the T-shirt he wore with her fingers.  
  
"I should have died in there." He felt tears stinging his eyes.  
  
She stilled her hand. "No." Sara's voice was fierce and she felt herself clinging more tightly to him.  
  
He rubbed her back. "No, I mean, there is no way the rest of that rubble shouldn't have crushed me. Did you look inside that void? I mean there was about an inch of clearance all the way around me. If that support beam had fallen any further, it would have done more than just split my hardhat."  
  
Sara felt tears sliding down her cheeks. "Nick, I'm so glad you didn't die." Her voice was barely a whisper.  
  
"But I should have." Nick replied earnestly. "I can't help but think that it was some kind of miracle. I mean, I'm not really terribly religious, Sara, but how else can you explain it?"  
  
"I don't think you can. I thought you died when I got out and you didn't." Her voice wavered.  
  
"I love you, Sara." He caressed her cheek with his fingers. "I thought I'd never get the chance to tell you that, I was too afraid to tell you that. I never dreamed you'd feel the same way."  
  
Sara smiled. "How could I not love you, Nick?"  
  
"We're such good friends, I wasn't sure I wanted to risk that. You mean too much to me." He let out a deep sigh. "I could have kicked myself for not saying something when we were both trapped. What if I had died? I would never have told you how I felt. You'd never have known."  
  
"But I do know. I wish I'd said something, but I didn't think you felt the same way either." Sara sounded drowsy. "If I had any doubts about what you felt, they disappeared when you didn't freak out when I peed on you."  
  
Nick chuckled. "You were so upset, all I wanted to do was try and make you feel like things were going to be ok."  
  
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes as they took comfort in just holding onto each other.  
  
"Sara?" Nick's voice was soft.  
  
"Yeah?" Sara sounded like she was on the brink of sleep.  
  
"Do you think that maybe we were spared for a purpose?" Nick sounded contemplative.  
  
"Maybe." Sara sounded like she was fighting sleep.  
  
Nick could feel her body relaxing against him as sleep finally claimed her. A few moments later, he felt himself drift off too.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Brass had pulled Patricia Newton in for questioning. "Ms. Newton, you reported your daughter Candace missing about five days ago. Is that correct?"  
  
The perfectly coifed woman nodded. She looked every part the business woman that she was. "Yes, Candace usually has dinner with me once or twice a week and she calls me nearly everyday. When I hadn't heard from her in a couple of days, I got worried."  
  
"Ms. Newton, are you aware of your daughter's most current profession?" Brass was angling his questioning it to see how much this woman really knew about her daughter's life.  
  
Patricia Newton looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Uh, Candace tends to live on the wild side. I do not approve of her lifestyle, but she is still my daughter, and regardless of her choices, I'm not going to distance myself from her."  
  
Brass glanced over at Grissom who stood in the corner. Grissom just shrugged his shoulders. Brass looked back at Patricia Newton. "So, it wouldn't come as a shock to you that your daughter has been involved in prostitution?"  
  
Ms. Newton shook her head. "She refers to it as working for an escort service, but I know what it really is." She took a deep breath and looked Brass in the eye. "I suspect that she's into drugs too, but she denies it."  
  
"Ms. Newton, we found your daughter." Brass stated simply, but his tone implied there was more to the story.  
  
Ms. Newton studied him trying to keep the expression on her face steady. "Why do I get the feeling you didn't bring me in here to give me good news?" Her astute business skills had given her the ability to sense when things weren't quite right.  
  
Grissom interjected gently. "Ms. Newton, we found your daughter's body underneath your house."  
  
The color drained out of Patricia Newton's face and she turned her head away and threw up. Her expression reflected that of someone receiving the shock of a lifetime. "What?"  
  
Brass looked at his notes and then looked back up at her. "Ms. Newton, you said that until recently your boyfriend, a Raymond Martin, lived with you. Did he ever have contact with your daughter?"  
  
Her face fell as an expression of horror flashed across it. "That was the reason I kicked him out. When he found out what she did for a living, he started hitting on her. Candace told me and I kicked him out." She was silent for a moment. "Do you think he had something to do with this?"  
  
"We'll be questioning Mr. Martin." Grissom interjected.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Nick." There was an edge of panic to Sara's voice as images of being trapped raced through her mind.  
  
Nick hugged her against him as her plea woke him. He whispered against her hair. "I'm here, babe. It's ok. We got out, we got out."  
  
They both drifted back into a troubled sleep clinging to each other. 


	13. Stress

Nick was startled from sleep by the sound of Sara whimpering next to him. As his eyes opened and adjusted to the light filtering in through his blinds, he noticed that she was crying in her sleep. "Sara." His voice was gentle as he whispered. "Sara, wake up. It's ok, babe."  
  
"Nick?" There was a waver in her voice as her eyes fluttered open.  
  
His fingers brushed away the tears on her face. "Shh, it's ok, you're ok."  
  
"I thought we were still trapped. I was so afraid we were going to die." She sniffled. "Nick, don't tell anyone that I'm still scared."  
  
"I'm still scared too, Sara." Nick let out a heavy sigh.  
  
Sara reached out and caressed his cheek. "I don't think I could do this without you."  
  
Nick let out a chuckle even as he felt tears stinging his eyes. He leaned over and softly kissed her, cupping her face with his hand.  
  
Sara responded fervently to his kiss. Somehow his touch made her feel alive, assured her that she was safe and suddenly, she couldn't get enough. As they broke the kiss, eyelids heavy from the intoxicating feelings it produced, Sara softly whispered in the semi-darkness. "Make love to me, Nick."  
  
Nick wanted her as much as he wanted the comfort that sex would provide. He didn't question her request, he just rolled her onto her back and closed his lips over hers as his fingers began to unbutton her pajama top. As his fingers came in contact with her bare skin, it reminded him that he was alive, that she was alive.  
  
Sara began to tug at the hem of his T-shirt, wanting to touch his body, wanting to feel his skin against hers, to be assured that they had in fact survived the earthquake, that she wasn't dreaming.  
  
Before long, the rest of their clothes had been shed and they continued touching and kissing fervently as if when they stopped the world might cease to exist. With each touch, with each caress, with each pleasured moan, with each kiss, they felt alive, finally falling into an exhausted sleep, bodies tangled together. Each time they woke from the nightmares that haunted them as they tried to sleep, they made love again, numbing the pain by reminding their bodies how alive they were.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"When are Nick and Sara going to be in?" Catherine queried Grissom who was trying to make heads or tails out of the knife wounds that he'd cast from Candace Matthews' body.  
  
He glanced up. "I just told them to get some sleep, I didn't tell them when they needed to come in."  
  
Catherine wrinkled her brow. "I wonder if they got any sleep at all."  
  
Grissom let out a deep breath. "Post traumatic stress is common in situations like this."  
  
"Uh, Gil, if you don't mind me asking, what do you think of the personal development between them?" Catherine was tiptoeing around the issue.  
  
Grissom's mouth twitched slightly upward. "I think Nick will make her happy. As long as they behave professionally at work, I don't have a problem with it."  
  
Catherine looked as if she was going to pose another question.  
  
"I'm fine with it, Cath. I've never been interested in Sara that way. I've admired her skill as a CSI and I think she was infatuated with me for a while, but nothing was ever going to happen there." Grissom turned his attention back to the casts from the incisions the murder weapon had made.  
  
Catherine's eyes focused on the layout table where the casts lay. "They appear to all be from the same knife."  
  
Grissom nodded. "Now if we can just get a break and find the knife before Brass brings Raymond Martin in for questioning."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nick and Sara arrived at the lab mid-way through shift. Both of them were still fairly exhausted, but more due to their activities between the sheets than from actual lack of sleep. They found Grissom in his office looking over the autopsy report.  
  
Grissom glanced up as they stood in the doorway. "Did either of you get any sleep?" Concern was etched on his face as he studied them.  
  
Nick nodded. "You can only sleep so much."  
  
Sara glanced at Nick, an unspoken understanding passed between them. Neither of them was going to mention the nightmares that had plagued them, nor were they going to tell anyone that the only time since the ordeal had started that they stopped thinking about it was when they were having sex.  
  
Grissom cleared his throat. "Have a seat, I want to talk to you about something before we go over the case."  
  
Dread kneaded at Sara's stomach. She had a fairly good idea what Grissom was going to say and she didn't want to hear it. She glanced at Nick as she sat down in one of the chairs opposite Grissom. He flashed her a quick smile, trying to appear calmer inside than he felt.  
  
"You know, if either of you want to take some time off to process what happened yesterday, I can certainly authorize leave." Grissom began.  
  
Sara started to tense. The last thing she wanted to do was take time off so she could think more about what had happened. Right now all she wanted was to lose herself in something and work fit the ticket just fine.  
  
Nick noticed Sara's tension, he felt it too. He knew that Grissom was probably right, but he didn't really want to think about what had happened either. He knew that Sara was really the only person who truly understood what he had gone through. He was pretty sure that Grissom would suggest that they both see a psychologist or something, and he knew that there was no way in hell that Sara would agree.  
  
"The department has a psychologist on retainer who deals with post traumatic stress." Grissom looked at both of them over the rim of his glasses.  
  
Sara clenched her jaw. "Let's just talk about the case, ok."  
  
Grissom glanced at Nick.  
  
"Did you find our kits?" Nick queried his boss, keeping the tone of his voice even.  
  
Grissom shook his head. "No, the structural engineer said it was unsafe to enter. All the evidence has been compromised by the earthquake anyway. We did cast the stab wounds of the vic though in case we can find the murder weapon."  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow. "Have we gotten an ID on the vic yet?"  
  
Grissom nodded. "Candace Matthews, a twenty-six year old prostitute. She was stabbed twenty-seven times. The house she was found under belongs to her mother."  
  
Nick's eyebrows shot up. "The mother?"  
  
Grissom raised his hand and continued. "We don't think that it was her mother, Brass is bringing in the mother's ex-boyfriend for questioning. He had motive, and possible opportunity. We just don't have a weapon."  
  
"Or compelling reason to get a DNA sample." Sara interjected.  
  
Grissom let out a deep breath. "That's why we'll ask him to give one voluntarily, so he can clear himself from suspicion."  
  
Nick nodded as he processed the information. "How did the mother take it?"  
  
"Not well." Grissom replied. "Her reaction leads me to believe she had no knowledge of it, unless she's one hell of an actress."  
  
"We've seen that before." Sara furrowed her brow as she tried to put some of the pieces together.  
  
Grissom was quiet for a moment and then cleared his throat. "There is just one other thing."  
  
Nick huffed slightly. He anticipated that Grissom would say something about the interaction between himself and Sara.  
  
A faint smile played at Grissom's mouth. "I trust that the two of you will maintain your professionalism while you're at work in spite of your personal relationship."  
  
"Why wouldn't we?" Sara looked annoyed.  
  
Nick just felt like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.  
  
"I didn't say you wouldn't, but I am your boss, and I need to say it for the record." Grissom replied in an approving tone.  
  
"Oh." Sara obviously didn't expect him to respond quite like this and neither did Nick.  
  
Grissom stopped them for a moment. "Oh, there is one other thing. For the time being, I'm taking over as primary on this case."  
  
They exchanged a look that spoke volumes as they stood to leave. 


	14. Denial

As Nick and Sara exited Grissom's office and headed toward the locker room, they didn't exchange a word, only the occasional glance. They could feel the not too obvious stares of coworkers as they walked down the hall. They knew that everyone probably was wondering how they were doing after the ordeal that they'd been through and were curious as to why they were back at work so soon. Nick reached over and took Sara's hand, giving it a squeeze before they entered the locker room to get their badges.  
  
After Sara had retrieved her badge, she shut her locker a little too forcefully, causing Nick to jump slightly. Worry creased her brow as she reached over and touched his arm, her eyes meeting his. "I'm sorry, Nick."  
  
He shook his head. "It's ok, Sara. He pissed me off too."  
  
A smile flickered across Sara's face. "Why can't he just let it go?"  
  
Nick reached over and cupped her face in his hand. "I don't know, babe, I don't know."  
  
"We're fine, we're going to be fine; I mean we're alive, we're fine. All I need is you." Sara leaned up and kissed him softly.  
  
Nick smiled against her lips. He wanted to believe that it was true that all they needed was each other to get through this, but a seed of doubt had been planted. He wasn't sure he was strong enough for himself and Sara both. He was going to try, but he just wasn't sure that he could do it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So nothing that we collected was recovered from the scene?" Nick queried Catherine who was assisting on the case.  
  
She shook her head. "Until we can get clearance from an engineer to get back into the scene, we have to wait until they level the house and then hope we get something from the rest of the rubble. But as it stands right now, the scene is already compromised. Nothing that you and Sara collected will probably be admissible in court anyway."  
  
Nick cursed under his breath and then flashed Catherine an apologetic smile. "Sorry. It just seems like a complete waste."  
  
Catherine raised an eyebrow, motherly concern flooding her face. "Are you sure you're up to this, Nicky?"  
  
Nick's jaw tensed as he steeled himself. "I'm fine. Sara's fine. We're both alive; we just need to get back to work."  
  
Catherine could tell that Nick really wasn't ok, but she also knew him well enough to not push him too hard.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara felt extremely uncomfortable under Grissom's watchful eye. They had been going over Candace Matthews' credit card records to see where she'd been before she'd ended up dead underneath her mother's house. Nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary. She eaten out, bought a couple of articles of clothing, bought tickets to one of the many shows on the Strip; in short, nothing that the average resident of Vegas wouldn't have had on their credit card statement at one point in time or another.  
  
Sara could feel Grissom watching her and it was beginning to grate on her nerves. All she wanted to do was get lost in the case to distract herself from the images that plagued her mind. She reached for Candace Matthews' cell phone records and glanced up momentarily, catching Grissom's gaze. She let out a frustrated sigh.  
  
"Sara, are you sure that you're up to this?" Grissom looked concerned. He wasn't sure that Sara or Nick were really ready to be back at work.  
  
Sara gave him a look that bordered on a glare. "Grissom, I'm fine. Can we just get back to the case?"  
  
Grissom raised a doubting eyebrow. "Sara."  
  
Anger flashed across Sara's face as she looked at him. "I'm fine. I'm taking a break." She got up and stormed out of the layout room and headed down the hall toward the break room, almost running Greg over as she breezed passed him, despite his cheery greeting. She walked directly over to the coffee machine to pour herself a cup. Her hands shook as she poured the coffee into her cup and tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she was not going to cry, she was not going to lose it. She wanted everyone to think that she was just fine. Nick was the only one who knew it wasn't true, the only one that could make her forget for a few hours what had happened. She lifted the cup to her lips and felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump and spill the coffee down her shirt.  
  
"Sorry, Sara." An apologetic Warrick reached for a paper towel to help her clean up the mess.  
  
"Dammit, Warrick, you scared the shit out of me." Sara was trying to get her heart rate down to normal. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard Warrick approach.  
  
"Hey, you seem a little jumpy. You doing ok?" Warrick looked concerned.  
  
"Why does everyone keep asking that? I'm fine. I just didn't hear you, ok?" Sara's tone implied that she didn't want to discuss it further.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara went home with Nick after shift had ended. She still couldn't bring herself to go back into her apartment since they'd stopped by to pick up some of her clothes.  
  
They'd no more closed the door than they found themselves in the midst of a passionate embrace, trying to lose themselves in each other. They made it as far as the couch, their clothes scattered all over Nick's living room.  
  
"I thought this day would never end." Sara clung to Nick as she tried to catch her breath.  
  
"I know what you mean. How many times do you have to answer the question 'how are you?'?" Nick's fingers trailed down Sara's back as he took comfort from her body pressed against his.  
  
Sara huffed. "If I have to work with Grissom watching my every move, I'm going to go crazy. Since when have my skills as a CSI come into question?"  
  
"Sara, you're the best CSI on the night shift." Nick assured her.  
  
"You're pretty damn good yourself." She replied, a smile forming on her face.  
  
"I can think of something else I think you're pretty good at." Nick slid his hands down her back to cup her butt, giving it a suggestive squeeze.  
  
Sara leaned up and kissed him, as she pulled away, there was a flirtatious tone in her voice. "You're pretty good too, but if we're going to try that again, let's go in the other room, I'm getting cold."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So how do you think they're really doing?" Catherine asked Warrick as they sat in her kitchen each of them sipping a beer.  
  
Warrick shook his head. "Not good. I don't think either one of them wants to deal with what happened. What did Grissom say?" He took a long swig of his beer.  
  
Catherine let out a wry laugh. "You know how good his people skills are. So he makes Sara work with him. You can imagine how well that went over."  
  
"So that's why she was so tense when I found her in the break room. She jumped when I touched her shoulder and spilled coffee all over herself." Warrick mulled the situation over. "Did you see them leave?"  
  
Catherine shook her head. "No. Why?"  
  
"They left together." Warrick commented with concern, setting his beer down on the table.  
  
"Well we all saw it. Nick's in love with her and she seems to be in love with him." Catherine took another sip from her beer.  
  
Warrick chuckled softly. "I know. I just hope they aren't using sex as a diversion to keep from dealing with what happened."  
  
Catherine just nodded in agreement, taking another sip from her beer. 


	15. Confrontation

Three weeks had gone by since the earthquake and they had not been able to track down their prime suspect, nor did they have enough evidence to get a warrant to search his last known residence, so for now, things were at a standstill until they either found Raymond Martin, or found the murder weapon. If they had been able to get any evidence out of the rubble, it might have supplied some clues of where to go next, but the case was quickly becoming one that fit the category of the unsolved. Grissom had split up Nick and Sara on cases and that hadn't set well either. When they were apart, they were increasingly on edge. Not that their skills as CSIs were being called into question, they had just started snapping at everyone else.  
  
Sara had pretty much moved in with Nick. They had gone over to her apartment several times and each time, they brought more of her things over to his house until there wasn't much left outside of her furniture there. With regards to their relationship itself, it had very much become more about sex and comfort than about the deep friendship they had shared. Not that they didn't love each other, they just found that it was easier to talk about what had happened and the fears they both still had in the afterglow of sex.  
  
Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick had become even more worried about the pair. None of them knew that Sara had moved in with Nick, but they definitely suspected that things between them had intensified. So when three weeks after the earthquake the team met for the briefing before shift began, they got some shocking news.  
  
"Excuse me? Can you repeat that, I'm not sure I heard you right?" Grissom looked at Nick and Sara with a dumbfounded expression.  
  
Warrick and Catherine also looked at the pair in disbelief.  
  
Nick held Sara's hand and squeezed it. "We got married this morning."  
  
"Isn't that a little fast?" Catherine was still trying to process what she'd heard.  
  
Sara narrowed her gaze at the trio. "I'm sorry that you all don't seem to approve of mine and Nick's relationship."  
  
Nick squeezed her hand and shot her an expression that softened hers a bit. "I think what Sara is trying to say is that we love each other and life is just too damn short. We didn't really see a reason to wait."  
  
"It's not that we don't approve, you just took us a little by surprise." Grissom tried to ease the tension in the room.  
  
Warrick remained silent and just studied them both. He knew that things weren't as ok as Nick and Sara would like for them all to think they were. Over the last three weeks, neither Nick nor Sara had hardly spoken to him, and it hurt. Without a word, he got up and left the break room.  
  
Grissom glanced at Catherine and she nodded, standing up and going after Warrick. Grissom turned his attention to Nick and Sara. "You know, if you want to take time off for a honeymoon, you both have more than enough vacation time stored up."  
  
Sara shook her head. "No, we don't need to take time off."  
  
Nick cleared his throat. "We're going to wait until next month, Gris. My family wants to meet Sara so we're going to fly to Texas."  
  
Grissom nodded. His face still reflected surprise and it was obvious he was still trying to absorb the news. "Nick, you're working a 419 with Catherine. Sara, you and Warrick need to meet Brass at the Tropicana. I've got a meeting with the Sheriff."  
  
Nick and Sara looked at each other as Grissom left he break room. Nick grinned at her. "Well that went better than I thought it would."  
  
"I love you, Nick." She smiled at him and leaned over and kissed his cheek.  
  
"I love you too, Sara." He squeezed her hand and pulled her up with him as he stood. "See you after shift, babe." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Warrick studied Sara as they drove to meet Brass. He hadn't said a word since he'd climbed into the passenger seat of the Denali.  
  
Sara glanced over at him and caught him looking. "Warrick, why are you so quiet?"  
  
Warrick let out a sigh. "I just don't think you want to hear what I have to say, that's all."  
  
Sara knit her brows together. "You don't approve. You don't think that Nick and I should have gotten married."  
  
Warrick shook his head. "It's not that, Sara. I think you and Nick are perfect for each other. I just think the timing, well, never mind."  
  
Sara's tone was sharp. "You agree with Catherine then, don't you?"  
  
Warrick was frustrated. "Sara, I just think that the two of you need to deal with what happened during that earthquake before you make major life decisions like getting married, that's all."  
  
"We've dealt with it and moved on, why can't everyone else?" Sara was getting angry.  
  
"Because none of us thinks that you've dealt with it because you both practically bite everyone's heads off any time they ask either of you a question." Warrick let out a deep breath and looked out the window.  
  
"Give me an example." Sara's voice was louder than normal and her tone was abrupt.  
  
"Just then, Sara. Just then." Warrick shook his head and continued to look out the window.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Catherine tried to keep her tone light as she drove the Denali toward the scene that she and Nick would be processing. "So you're married, huh?"  
  
Nick nodded, knowing that Catherine was trying to handle him with kid gloves. "That's what I said."  
  
Catherine gave up the pretense of being light and went directly to the motherly tone she'd used on Nick on more than one occasion. "Nick, we all like you and Sara. In fact, we're glad that the two of you are together. We're just concerned that maybe you rushed this decision."  
  
"It was our decision to make." Nick's tone was sharp. Catherine could read him very well and at the moment, he didn't want to be read, he just wanted to be left alone.  
  
"I'm not going to disagree with that, Nicky. We care about you both though and you just don't seem like you're really ok."  
  
"I'm fine, Cath. Why does everyone keep asking?" Nick's voice had waver in it.  
  
"Nick, it's ok if you're not fine, but if you keep pretending that you are when you're not, everything else is going to suffer; your performance at work and even your relationship with Sara. I care enough about you to tell you the truth. I think you both need to talk to someone, to make sure you're both ok, to make sure your relationship survives." Catherine reached over and touched Nick's arm softly.  
  
"You don't think that Sara and I are going to last?" Nick's tone was almost bitter as he fought tears that threatened to spill.  
  
"I didn't say that, Nicky. But I think I know both of you fairly well, and if I was going to venture a guess, I'd bet you both were spending a lot more time in between the sheets than talking about what's hurting you both." Catherine replied softly. "Not that I even want to compare you two to Eddie and I, but it's a lot easier to lose yourself in sex than deal with the real issues."  
  
Nick let out a deep sigh and wiped at his eyes trying to stifle his tears. "I'll keep that in mind." His voice was barely a whisper. He felt his strength to shoulder this burden of his and Sara's alone beginning to ebb. 


	16. Reality

Sara had been silenced by Warrick's comment. She didn't want to believe that she'd been biting everyone's heads off; in fact she refused to believe it. She just silently stewed about the situation. If she admitted that he was right, she'd have to start dealing with the images that constantly flashed through her mind, the pain she didn't want to face, and she wasn't ready to do that yet. Between immersing herself in work and being with Nick, she had not allowed herself to focus on it. In fact the only time she would talk about it was when she was in Nick's arms, and now that they were married, she took an extra measure of comfort in the commitment that he'd made to be there for her for the rest of his life. In fact, it had been she that had brought up the idea in the first place, and Nick was more than agreeable to elope.  
  
When she and Warrick got back to the lab, she took some samples into Greg for DNA processing. As she walked in, Greg glanced up with a guarded expression. "Hey, Sara." He remembered how she had almost plowed him down in the hallway earlier.  
  
She put what she thought was a smile on her face. "Greg, I need these processed as soon as possible."  
  
"Just as soon as I finish these up." He replied.  
  
"Thanks." She furrowed her brow. "Hey, Greg, can I ask you something?"  
  
He nodded. "Uh, sure."  
  
She studied him carefully. "Have I been short with you lately?"  
  
Greg looked as if he didn't want to answer the question.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Greg?"  
  
He let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, you have."  
  
Sara's face clouded and she spun on her heals and headed out of the DNA lab in search of Nick. When she found out that he was still at his crime scene, she almost lost it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nick thought about what Catherine had said all throughout shift. He knew he wasn't going to be able to shoulder both he and Sara's pain much longer. They could only numb the pain with sex for so long and quite frankly, he wanted to be able to enjoy making love to Sara as an expression of their love instead of using it to avoid dealing with hurt. They had been rather spontaneous in their decision to get married, but he didn't regret it, he'd been in love with her for a long time.  
  
As he and Catherine made their way back to the lab, she studied him, finally saying something. "Nicky, you ok?"  
  
He looked at her and smiled. For the first time in weeks, he didn't snap at her, he was honest. "Cath, I've been thinking about what you said earlier."  
  
She just smiled at him and let him continue.  
  
"I love Sara so much, but you're right, I'm not ok, and neither is she. The only time I can stop thinking about what happened is when we're together." Nick's voice wavered. "She won't want to talk to someone. You know that don't you?"  
  
"Hey, you guys are in this together, but you're not alone. All of us care about you. You have to know that. You don't have to do this alone." Catherine's voice was reassuring.  
  
"Thanks, that means a lot." Nick had tears stinging his eyes, his voice filled with emotion. Catherine was a good friend and Nick was glad that she'd had the courage to tell him the truth.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara holed herself up in the ladies room for a few minutes to try and regain her composure. She knew that she still needed to work her case with the utmost professionalism. The last thing she wanted was for Grissom to have an excuse to send her home.  
  
She went back to the materials lab where Warrick was processing some of the evidence they had collected. "Greg's got a sample ahead of ours; he'll page us when it's done."  
  
"Thanks." Warrick responded without looking up from the lab bench.  
  
"I'm going to go get some coffee." Sara turned and left the materials lab and headed toward the break room. She went to pour herself a cup of coffee and then just set it down on the counter, finding herself putting her head in her hands and just wanting to cry. She heard footsteps behind her and quickly regained her composure as she turned around.  
  
Nick stood there with a concerned expression on his face. He quickly crossed the room and stood next to her, his hand cupping her face. "Hey, babe, what's wrong?"  
  
She looked into his eyes with a pleading expression. "I think I'm just tired."  
  
He searched her eyes. "You want me to take you home?"  
  
Sara shook her head. "No, I still have work to do. I'll be fine." She smiled. "We'll just have to try and get some sleep later."  
  
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we haven't exactly been getting a lot of that lately have we?"  
  
She smiled. "Not that I'm complaining." She leaned up and kissed him softly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So you talked to Nick then?" Grissom looked at Catherine over the rim of his glasses.  
  
She nodded. "I think he wants to talk to someone, but I don't think that Sara will. I think that's why he hasn't gone to talk to anyone. I mean, didn't he talk to someone after that whole experience with Nigel Crane?" Catherine replied.  
  
"Off the record, yes, but I didn't tell you that." Grissom let out a deep sigh. "I'm concerned for both of them. Not that I don't approve of their relationship, I'm just afraid that they've rushed things too quickly."  
  
Catherine nodded. "I think we're all on the same page with that one, Gil."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After shift was over, Nick and Sara went home. Sara's admission that she was tired worried Nick; not because she said that she was tired, but because he was pretty sure it wasn't the whole story. They ate breakfast in relative silence and then, lost in their own thoughts crawled into bed, instinctively holding onto each other as they waited for sleep to claim them.  
  
Nick watched Sara as she rested against him. He could tell that she had a lot on her mind and for some reason she didn't want to say anything. Finally, he began playing with her hair. "Sara, honey, are you doing ok? You've been quiet since we got home."  
  
Sara let out a frustrated sigh and propped herself up on Nick's chest. "Warrick told me that I've been biting everyone's head off lately, that he thinks you have too."  
  
Nick wrinkled his brow.  
  
"Are we losing our minds, Nick? Or are they right?" Sara's voice wavered.  
  
Nick let out a deep breath. "I don't know, babe. They may be right, but I don't want them to be." He could feel the emotion welling up in him.  
  
"I mean, there must be something wrong because when you asked me if I wanted to go home, I almost said yes." Sara admitted.  
  
Nick looked concerned. "I wish you'd told me, I would have taken you home."  
  
"And then what? I would have sat here all alone until you finished your shift. Uh, uh. I don't want to be alone." Sara had a slightly panicked tone in her voice.  
  
Nick tangled his finger into her hair. "Hey, you're not alone. I'm not going to leave you alone."  
  
"Nick, maybe we need to talk to someone about all of this." Sara's voice sounded scared.  
  
"Maybe we should." Nick felt tears stinging his eyes.  
  
"But I don't think I'm ready yet." She whispered.  
  
"It's ok, babe." Nick sniffled.  
  
Sara turned towards Nick and began to kiss his neck as she nestled her body next to his. "Make love to me, Nicky."  
  
Nick rolled her onto her back, his weight pushing her back into the mattress as he complied with her request as they both sought escape in the pleasure of each other. 


	17. Shock

Several more weeks passed and finally a break came in the case of Candace Matthews. When crews had demolished the house and then subsequently had sifted through the rubble, the knife set from the kitchen was located. When the knives were tested for traces of human blood, one knife in particular had considerable amounts around the handle on the blade. Whoever had cleaned it had obviously been in a hurry. They were able to determine from the casts that Grissom had done, that the knife in question was in fact the knife that had been used in the murder of Candace Matthews. When Greg did the DNA analysis, he was able to determine that the blood on the knife not only matched the blood of Candace Matthews but that of a mystery donor, meaning that they had substantial evidence which cleared her mother. Now if they could just find Raymond Martin and compare his DNA with that of the mystery donor they might be able to close the case. ~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara and Nick were still feeling edgy, but had made a conscious effort to think about how they were responding to everyone else. It seemed to have improved the tone of the team as a whole, but they still caught the rest of the team giving them worried glances now and then.  
  
They sat at the break room table with Warrick and Catherine waiting for Grissom to arrive to hand out assignments when Sara suddenly jumped up from the table and ran out of the room. Warrick and Catherine looked over at Nick with quizzical expressions on their faces.  
  
Nick met their curious stares. "Sara thinks she's got some kind of bug. She hasn't been feeling very well the last couple of days."  
  
"Why doesn't she stay home then?" Catherine asked.  
  
"With the lead in this case, are you kidding? This is Sara we're talking about here." Nick replied sipping his coffee. He thought silently to himself that the other reason was because he'd promised Sara that he wouldn't leave her alone and they were leaving for Texas at the end of the week for a couple of weeks so his family could meet her.  
  
Warrick nodded.  
  
Catherine glanced toward the door. "I'm going to go check on her." She made her way to the ladies room where she found Sara still throwing up in one of the stalls. "Sara?"  
  
"Just a minute, Catherine." Sara finally stepped out of the stall and made her way over to a sink so she could wash her mouth out.  
  
Catherine watched her with concern. "You ok?"  
  
Sara nodded and pasted on a smile. "Yeah, I'll be fine."  
  
Catherine wasn't convinced. "Uh, can I ask you something?"  
  
Sara nodded as she wiped her mouth.  
  
"How far along are you?" Catherine had a knowing look.  
  
Disbelief and then relief washed over Sara's face. "Uh, how did you know?"  
  
Catherine chuckled. "I've been there. Does Nick know?"  
  
Sara shook her head. "Not yet, I was going to get a pregnancy test later."  
  
"Do you know how far along you are?" Catherine queried her.  
  
Sara smiled, tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "I think about six weeks." The emotional surge from the extra hormones in her system were turning her into an entirely different Sara. "I don't know why I'm crying."  
  
Catherine smiled. "It's normal. Do you want me to see if I can get Grissom to put us on a case together and then we can stop and get a pregnancy test?"  
  
Sara smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that would be great." In spite of her hard exterior, tears slid down Sara's face. "If I cry like this all nine months, I'm going to ruin my reputation."  
  
"When are you going to tell Nick?" Catherine asked her gently.  
  
"As soon as I know for sure." Sara wiped the tears from her face and blotted it with a cool wet paper towel before she and Catherine made their way back to the break room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Catherine and Sara were in the ladies room waiting to see what would appear on the test strip. Catherine watched Sara with an amused expression as a myriad of emotions crossed the younger woman's face as she waited. Catherine broke the silence. "Ready?"  
  
Sara nodded. "As I'll ever be." She wasn't sure what Nick would say if she was in fact pregnant. They'd only been married three weeks and if her calculations were correct, she got pregnant just about the first time they'd had sex, six weeks before when they'd been freed from the rubble the earthquake had trapped them under.  
  
Catherine placed a comforting hand on Sara's shoulder as she looked at the strip. Sara started to cry and welcomed the hug that Catherine offered. "You'll be a great mom, Sara. You and Nick are doing to be great parents. This baby is going to be so loved."  
  
Sara took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. "I don't want to wait to tell Nick. I just hope he doesn't freak out. I haven't even met his family yet."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
By the time Nick, Warrick, and Grissom finished up at their crime scene and arrived back at the lab, Sara was pacing in the break room. As soon as she caught sight of Nick, she went out into the hallway and grabbed his hand. "I need to talk to you." She started pulling him towards the locker room as a curious expression spread across his face.  
  
Grissom raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Sara, Nick still has some evidence to process."  
  
Sara flashed Grissom a pleading expression. "I just need him for a few minutes." She didn't wait for Grissom to say anything more; she just pulled a still silent Nick into the locker room.  
  
When the door had shut behind them, a curious Nick finally spoke. "What's up?"  
  
Sara looked nervous and fearful as she stepped closer to Nick. "I need to tell you something."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "What's so important that you needed to pull me into the locker room?" He looked a little concerned. "Are you doing ok?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She slid her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. "I'm just worried about you."  
  
Nick looked confused. "Why are you worried about me?"  
  
Sara let out a deep breath and rested her forehead against his. "Nick, we're going to have a baby."  
  
Nick looked dumbstruck.  
  
"I'm pregnant." Sara thought maybe if she took the direct approach it might make him respond.  
  
Nick just stared at her, still not quite grasping what she was telling him.  
  
"You're going to be a father." Sara was beginning to wonder what in the world Nick was thinking. "Nick, say something, you're scaring me."  
  
Nick finally spoke. "We're going to have a baby?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, we're having a baby." Sara took one of his hands and placed it on her abdomen.  
  
"Are you sure?" Nick looked completely dumbfounded.  
  
Sara nodded and a hurt expression crossed her face as Nick pulled away from her to sit down on the bench in front of the row of lockers.  
  
"You're sure?" Nick repeated again trying to let the information sink in.  
  
Tears started streaming down Sara's face and she tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand. "Yes, I'm sure."  
  
"Wow." Nick still couldn't quite fathom what Sara was telling him. They were supposed to meet his entire family in just a few days and it had shocked them enough that he had run off and gotten married without telling them, but this was going to throw them for a loop. "A baby?"  
  
"You're upset about this?" Sara didn't know what to do. She just wiped at the tears that continued to run down her face.  
  
He looked up at her and the tears on her cheeks registered in his mind. He shook his head and stood up, putting his hands on her shoulders. "No, I'm not upset. I just didn't expect this."  
  
Sara started sobbing; she was scared to death. "I didn't plan this either." She wasn't sure whether he was accusing her or just startled by the whole situation, not that it wasn't bound to happen sooner or later, they hadn't exactly been using protection.  
  
Nick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. He rubbed her back and tried to reassure her. "Sara, honey, its going to be ok. It's just a little shock that's all. We'll be ok." He let out a deep breath. "How far along are you?"  
  
"Six weeks." She replied sniffling.  
  
It dawned on Nick when the baby must have been conceived. He chuckled. "We're having an earthquake baby."  
  
Sara chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we are; I guess you really rocked my world."  
  
Nick just held her. He was just as scared as she was. 


	18. Intervention

The door to the locker room opened and Nick and Sara turned to see who had entered the room before stepping apart.  
  
"Grissom wants you in the layout room, Nick." Warrick froze as he took in the scene before him. He looked concerned as he noticed Sara's tears. "Everything ok?"  
  
Sara wiped her eyes with her fingertips and laughed softly, looking at Nick. "You want to tell him, or do you want me to?"  
  
Nick still looked a little shell shocked, but nodded at her. "I can."  
  
"What's going on? You two aren't breaking up are you?" Warrick's concern for his two friends had grown considerably over the past several weeks.  
  
The very thought of Nick leaving her made Sara start crying again and Nick shot Warrick a glare as he pulled her into a hug and began rubbing her back. "Hey, Sara honey, it's ok. I'm not going anywhere except maybe to kick Warrick's ass for suggesting such a ridiculous thing."  
  
Warrick looked at Nick and Sara with confusion. "What's going on?"  
  
An annoyed Grissom rounded the corner into the locker room. He stopped in his tracks as he took in the scene of Nick still trying to comfort a crying Sara. "What's going on?"  
  
Warrick turned toward him. "That's what I was trying to find out before I put my foot in my mouth."  
  
Grissom looked at him quizzically.  
  
Warrick shook his head. "Never mind."  
  
Grissom stepped a little further into the room, concern evident on his face. "Nick? Sara? Is everything ok?"  
  
Sara pulled away from Nick and wiped her eyes. "Nick, will you tell them?"  
  
Nick took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Yeah, babe, I will." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead before turning to face Grissom and Warrick. Sara had a death grip on his hand and Nick tried to reassure her by caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. As he prepared to share what Sara had just told him, the reality of the situation sank in a bit deeper and he found himself holding onto Sara's hand for dear life. He looked directly at Warrick and Grissom and he suddenly felt like his throat was constricting. He took a couple of deep breaths before finally speaking. "Sara's pregnant."  
  
Grissom and Warrick could not have been more shocked if someone had told them that there was a herd of Wildebeests in the DNA lab.  
  
The silence in the room was overwhelming and as Sara looked around at everyone's faces, she started crying again; a wave of nausea washed over her, causing her to make a sudden dash for the ladies room.  
  
Nick sank down on the bench in front of the bay of lockers and just stared straight ahead, still trying to steady his breathing.  
  
"I take it this came as a surprise." Warrick ventured.  
  
Nick just nodded his head, running his fingers through his shortly cropped hair. "She hasn't even met my family yet and they've already completely freaked out that I got married without telling them."  
  
Grissom tried to keep his tone even. "Do you and Sara want children, Nick?"  
  
Nick glanced up at his boss with a slightly confused expression. "We haven't exactly talked about it, but I know I do. I just didn't think we'd be starting a family quite so soon." Nick let out a deep breath. "Hell, everything has moved so fast, I'm not sure what's coming next." He rested his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands.  
  
Grissom and Warrick exchanged a concerned look. Grissom mouthed something to Warrick before sitting down next to Nick on the bench. "Nicky, why don't you take a few minutes to get your bearings and when Sara comes out of the ladies room, I'd like both of you to come down to my office. Ok?" Warrick disappeared down the hallway.  
  
Nick nodded. "Ok." His voice had a hitch in it, and Grissom could tell he needed a few minutes alone to compose himself. Nick found himself sobbing into his hands as he heard the locker room door close. It wasn't that he didn't want children, and it wasn't that he didn't love Sara; it was just that so much had changed in such a short span of time, he just felt overwhelmed. He heard the door open and soft footsteps coming toward him. He glanced up to see Sara approaching with a concerned expression on her face.  
  
"You're not ready for this are you?" Sara looked as scared as he felt.  
  
He smiled at her through his tears and reached for her hand, pulling her down to sit on the bench next to him. "I'm just scared, Sara. I love you, and I know that we're going to love this baby, but I'm scared."  
  
"I'm scared too." Sara whispered as she leaned her head onto his shoulder.  
  
Nick let out a deep breath. "Sara, it's going to be ok. It's just a lot for both of us to adjust to. I mean things between us have been moving at lightning speed and I just don't think we've been thinking too clearly."  
  
They were quiet for a moment and then Sara's tentative voice broke the silence. "Are you sorry that you married me?"  
  
Nick looked at her with a shocked expression, he cupped her face in his hands, and his brow furrowed as he looked at her intently. "No, I'm not sorry I married you. I love you, Sara. I've loved you for a long time, and if I had the chance to do it all over, I'd marry you again in a heartbeat."  
  
"I love you, Nick." Sara's voice was thick with emotion and barely a whisper.  
  
He leaned in and softly kissed her, smiling as he pulled away. "I love you too."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
When Nick and Sara entered Grissom's office, they noticed that Warrick and Catherine were there too.  
  
Sara gripped Nick's hand as they exchanged a curious glance. Nick closed the door and they both took a seat, looking around the room at the faces of the other three CSIs.  
  
Surprisingly, it was Catherine not Grissom who spoke. "You're probably wondering what this is about. I'm going to just get to the point. We're all worried about you. Under normal circumstances, getting married and having children is stressful, and for the two of you, neither of these things has happened under normal circumstances."  
  
Nick squeezed Sara's hand.  
  
Catherine continued. "We may be your coworkers, but we're also your friends and we're like a little family. When one of us is hurting, all of us are hurting. I know that none us really understands what the two of you went through when you were trapped after the earthquake, but I do know what we went through waiting until we knew whether or not you were both ok. We care about you both and we want you to know that you don't have to do this alone. We're here for you."  
  
Nick's voice was a whisper. "Thanks, Cath."  
  
Sara felt a tear slide down her cheek.  
  
Grissom cleared his throat and looked at them over the rim of his glasses. "I believe that both of you could benefit from counseling for post traumatic stress."  
  
Sara looked at Grissom as more tears formed in her eyes.  
  
"I'm not calling either of you into question about your ability to do your job, but I also don't think that either of you have been thinking clearly since the earthquake." Grissom continued.  
  
Nick just nodded. "I don't think we have either." He glanced around the room. "But I also want to say that regardless of that, neither one of us has any regrets about getting married."  
  
Catherine smiled and Warrick let out a chuckle before interjecting a bit of lightness into the conversation. "Hell, Nick, you've been in love with Sara even longer than you're willing to admit."  
  
Nick just smiled at Sara who laughed in spite of her tears.  
  
"Be that as it may, I still believe that you both need to see a counselor." Grissom insisted.  
  
Catherine interjected. "I think that Grissom's right. We care about you and we want both of you to succeed in your jobs and in your life with each other. If you don't deal with what happened during the earthquake, it's going to have ripple effects in your relationship. And take it from me; things just get more complicated when a kid enters the picture."  
  
A look of momentary panic flashed across Sara's face as the reality of her pregnancy hit her again. Nick just squeezed her hand reassuringly even as he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
  
"You guys are going to be great parents." Catherine smiled at them; recognizing the nervousness of pending parenthood on their faces.  
  
"I have the number for a counselor that the department recommends, but it's up to you." Grissom looked at both of them expectantly as he held out a business card.  
  
Sara took the business card from Grissom's outstretched hand. "Ok, we'll go."  
  
Nick nodded. "Yeah, I think it's a really good idea."  
  
Both of them knew that Sara's pregnancy was a huge wake up call and that they were both in way over their heads. 


	19. Talking

Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick let out a collective sigh of relief that Nick and Sara had finally consented to go see a counselor about the trauma that they'd experienced. In light of the way that Nick and Sara had acted for the last six weeks, the rest of the team had assumed that it would be much harder to convince them to see a counselor. Truth be told, Nick and Sara were much closer to asking for help than any of them had imagined. Sara's pregnancy had just been the final push they needed.  
  
Grissom decided that in light of Sara's revelation about being pregnant that he was going to insist that they take time off until they left for Texas to visit Nick's family. He had expected resistance and had been prepared to put them on forced leave, but surprisingly, they both agreed to that as well and he didn't have to pull rank.  
  
Over the next few days, Nick and Sara saw the counselor twice and began to talk about the fears they'd experienced while being trapped and the fears they had as a result afterward. They started to talk through their rush decision to get married and some of the consequences. Sara's pregnancy certainly had complicated things a little. Sara was afraid that having a child would spell the end of her career and neither one of them felt prepared to become parents; they were both afraid that they really weren't ready and felt a surge of panic each time the reality sank in a little further. The counselor assured them that no new parent ever really felt prepared and that their feelings were completely normal. Once they got home from their second session, they continued talking about some of the things the counselor had suggested until they met with her again when they returned from Texas.  
  
"We really shut everyone else out, didn't we?" Sara offered as they settled on the couch.  
  
Nick nodded. "Yeah, I guess we did. My parents still don't even know about us being trapped in the earthquake, Sara." His voice was almost a whisper.  
  
Sara looked at him with concern. "Why didn't you tell them?" She touched his shoulder.  
  
"I don't know. I guess I figured if I told them about it, I knew they'd come out here and I didn't want that. Coming from a large family has its downside now and then. And with me being the youngest they would have smothered me." He paused and looked into Sara's eyes. "I just wanted you, Sara; I didn't want the whole world. You were the only one who understood." He explained.  
  
"But we're not alone. That's what Dr. Martinez said and that's what Gris, Warrick and Catherine said too." She replied, reminding herself as well as him that this was true.  
  
He met her gaze and smiled. "I know." He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm scared to go to Texas, Sara. They freaked out when I told them we got married. At least your parents took it all in stride."  
  
"To tell you the truth, I wish my parents had freaked out, sometimes they're a little too laid back about things. Of course when they find out they're going to be grandparents, I'm sure they will freak out." She smiled at him and felt a tear slide down her cheek. "Nick, it's going to be ok. No matter what happens, we're going to face this together. If your family hates me, they'll just have to deal with it because I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Nick reached over and brushed the tear from her cheek. "Hey, they're going to love you. They're probably going to kick my ass, but they're going to love you."  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow at him. "They better not touch that ass of yours; I'm pretty fond of it."  
  
Nick started to laugh. "Well I'm pretty fond of it too; it's the only one I have." He studied Sara for a moment and then let out a deep breath. "When should we tell them that we're having a baby?"  
  
Sara's voice was soft. "They might go a little easier on you if they know you're going to be a daddy."  
  
"Ok, I guess we should tell them before we go then." Nick looked nervous.  
  
"Besides, Nick, if I run to the bathroom and throw up the instant we get there, they're going to know something is going on." Sara quipped.  
  
Nick chuckled. "Ok, I'll call them." He reached for the phone.  
  
Sara touched his arm and looked at him longingly. "Call them tomorrow before we leave, let's just hang out for a while. We haven't done that for a long time and I miss that. I miss you. I miss you being my friend too, Nick."  
  
"I miss that too, Sara." Nick pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "What do you want to do?"  
  
"Well considering I'm with child, I'd say rock climbing and bungee jumping are out." Sara teased.  
  
"Hmm, well I guess we'll have to go with Plan B then; how about a movie?" He suggested. "I think there's a new movie with Hugh Grant out."  
  
Sara wrinkled her brow. "Can we stay in? I don't want to miss the movie if I have to throw up."  
  
Nick bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh. "Whatever you want, honey."  
  
They ended up having Chinese food delivered for dinner and then watched about half of 'My Dog Skip' before Sara started to cry. "I didn't remember that this movie was so sad."  
  
Nick paused the movie and held her close. "Hey, we don't have to finish it if you don't want to." He wasn't sure what to do except hold her.  
  
"But I have to know that the dog's ok." Sara sniffled.  
  
Nick had to hold in his laughter. "Ok, we'll finish the movie. Do you want any more of the Chinese?"  
  
At the mention of the food, Sara looked nauseous. "Nick, the timeframe that this smelled good has expired; can you put that out in the trash?" She jumped up and ran for the bathroom to throw up.  
  
Nick took the rest of the food and put it outside in the trash, chuckling to himself about what he was in for until Sara's morning sickness passed. Why they called it morning sickness he wasn't sure, she seemed to feel sick all day long.  
  
When he came back inside, Sara had turned the movie off and sat on the couch waiting for him. "Nick, let's just go to bed, I'm tired and we need to pack when we get up."  
  
"Ok." Nick replied, reaching for her hand.  
  
As they snuggled together in bed, Sara whispered to Nick. "You know, this has been the strangest last couple of months, but I wouldn't trade it Nick, because if I did, I might not have you."  
  
Nick smiled in the darkness. "And I might not have you. I love you, Sara."  
  
"I love you, Nick." Sara whispered as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.  
  
Nick held her for a while and then drifted off to sleep himself. 


	20. Epilogue

~Epilogue~  
  
The trip to Texas went far better than Nick could have imagined. He was right, his family did love Sara, and while they were disappointed that they hadn't been able to be there when they'd gotten married, when they found out that Sara was pregnant, they were ecstatic. Nick had a difficult time telling his family about the earthquake and how he and Sara had been trapped under the rubble. Both he and Sara were in tears as he told them he had feared he'd never get the chance to see them again, and never get to tell them how much he loved each and every one of them, but that he had been afraid to tell them about it because he hadn't wanted them to worry about him and that he hadn't been quite ready to deal with it himself.  
  
Nick's family assured him and Sara that regardless of the fact that they didn't quite understand why they got married so quickly and why Nick felt the need to keep the situation about the earthquake to himself, that they were there for both of them and with another Stokes on the way, they wanted to be as supportive as possible.  
  
Sara felt so welcomed by all of the Stokes that she felt a little overwhelmed. Nick's sisters made sure that she knew that they expected her to call them if she had any questions about what she might need for the baby and if what she was experiencing was normal, they even bought her a book called 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' so she would feel more comfortable about the changes that her body was going to go through and so Nick would have some sort of clue of what to expect.  
  
Nick and Sara called her parents from Texas and when they told them that they were going to be grandparents, they did indeed freak out as Sara had thought they would.  
  
Two weeks went by faster than either Nick or Sara had anticipated and by the time they got back to Vegas, they were much more relaxed and felt a bit more comfortable with parenthood looming off in the not too distant future.  
  
When they returned to work, Grissom had sat down with them and suggested that they continue with the counselor for at least a couple of months and that he would make sure that their days off would coincide. Having the people around them being supportive of them while they worked through the transitions and the trauma helped considerably.  
  
Finally, seven months after they returned from Texas the Vegas police finally picked up the prime suspect in the murder of Candice Matthews. Raymond Martin was pulled over for a minor traffic violation and the officer who stopped him ran his name through the law enforcement database to see if he had any outstanding warrants. When the officer realized Raymond Martin was wanted on suspicion of murder, the he had called for backup and made an arrest. Once they had him in custody and obtained a warrant for his DNA, they were able to make a comparison to the mystery donor from the murder weapon.  
  
It was a match. They could conclusively put him at the scene of the murder even though the scene itself had been destroyed in the earthquake. When confronted with the evidence, Raymond Martin confessed to the crime in hopes that he would escape the death penalty, and indeed did get a plea agreement with the district attorney.  
  
Finally, almost nine months after the earthquake, they closed the book on the case that had produced near tragedy for the all of the CSIs. While this event brought the CSIs a great deal of satisfaction, another event which happened shortly after Raymond Martin was arrested brought an even greater deal of satisfaction.  
  
Sara went into labor early, and after sixteen and a half hours, little Hannah Joy Stokes was born.  
  
~ The End ~  
  
A/N: Many thanks to my reviewers. I appreciate you taking the time to tell me what you think of the story. Your time is valuable and I hope that you enjoyed the story. If you want to learn more about earthquakes, please go to www.usgs.gov for some interesting facts and a real time earthquake map. I also want to thank several of my engineer friends who specialize in soils and earthquake engineering for the knowledge I've gleaned from working with them. And finally thanks to my beta Brianna for her great input. 


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